When Love was Young
by dixiedreaming
Summary: What if Scarlett and Rhett's honeymoon had taken a different direction? Before the hardships and heartbreaks that were to come later in their marriage, could the Butlers' learn to love each other while away in New Orleans? Follows the events of the book, but with a few crucial changes.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, sorry for the long gap in between stories, I'm blaming a combination of RL and writer's block although it could also have something to do with the fact I've become incredibly lazy lately! Anyway, this is a four-parter focusing on moments from the Butler's honeymoon and alternating between two morning episodes told from Scarlett's pov and two night episodes told from Rhett's. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think, I love getting reviews to the point where it's probably unhealthy! Finally a massive thank you to areadergirl who made sure I didn't give up on this, I really appreciate it. _

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Scarlett moaned softly to herself as she opened her eyes and took in the sight of her surroundings. The sun was just beginning to seep in from under the thick curtains of her hotel suite, illuminating its plush splendour, so removed from the simple furnishings that adorned her room in Aunt Pittypat's house. A satisfied smile broke out across her lips as she luxuriated in the feel of the silk sheets that were wrapped loosely around her body, her ever-practical mind congratulating herself on her sudden rise in fortune.

This time two days ago, as she waited anxiously to undergo her third, and hopefully final, wedding ceremony, Scarlett had been less than confident about her decision to marry Rhett. Of course it had its obvious appeals, he was wealthy beyond compare, more handsome than was entirely decent and, for all his taunting and teasing, he understood her in a way that no one else ever had. Yet despite all this she still had her reservations, there was just something so unyielding about Rhett as a man, an inner steel that made her fear that she would not be able to control him as she once had Charles and Frank.

She had been so uncharacteristically nervous that morning in fact that she had practically screamed at Mammy and Melly as they helped her to get ready, even reducing Prissy to tears when the ditzy girl had pricked her with a needle while attempting to make some last-minute alterations to her dress. Scarlett's heart had been in her mouth when the carriage rolled up outside the house ready to take her away to her new life and for a moment she had earnestly considered locking her bedroom door and refusing to come out until the whole sorry business had been called off.

It was only the thought of the scorn that Rhett would no doubt pour on her if she dared to do so, the way that his dark eyes would burn with mockery as he berated her for her weakness, which finally forced her shaky legs to move. Marriage to him may not be perfect, but it was infinitely preferable to having him think her a mealy-mouthed coward who was too afraid to even face him.

Scarlett sighed as she snuggled deeper into the cocoon of her warm bed, safe in the knowledge that she had made the right decision and that her fears regarding Rhett had been proven wrong. For all his swagger and strength, he had been nothing but gentle and attentive to her in the forty-eight hours since she had become his wife. Scarlett's smile deepened as she recalled the smouldering look that he had given her as she recited her vows, his normally unreadable expression softening until she felt that she was finally getting a glimpse of the man that lay behind the mask that he so rigidly wore in front of the rest of the world.

He appeared so overcome with emotion, and for once so willing to openly display it, that all of her anxieties had fallen completely away and for the first time in her life she felt that perhaps she could be happy married to a man who was not Ashley Wilkes.

Scarlett yawned and stretched out in her bed, making use of every last inch of the king-sized mattress she was currently lying on as she sprawled out. Having spent the previous night in the cramped sleeping car of the train that had brought her and Rhett from Atlanta to New Orleans, the extra room felt all the more wonderful.

She had never slept aboard a train before and had found the prospect of doing so to be both daunting and exhilarating. On one hand it was undoubtedly satisfying to know that she would be doing something that no other married woman in Atlanta ever had after their weddings. It pleased Scarlett's vanity to know that, while Rhett may have insisted on a low-key ceremony, he was more than willing to splurge on their honeymoon in order to make her happy, and flaunting her new-found wealth in front of the very people who had always looked down on her made her very happy indeed! However, despite the vindictive pleasure she took in this act, the thought of spending her wedding night alone with Rhett, stranded on a moving train miles from anywhere had filled her with more than a little apprehension.

Though she had experienced her fair share of marital relations in the past, none had been what you could call a pleasant experience. Indeed, Scarlett had come to abhor the entire practice, only managing to stomach it at all by squeezing her eyes tightly shut and forcing herself to think of other, more pleasant things. Things that that would take her away from her immediate surroundings and block out the sight and sound of Charles or Frank above her, sweaty and disgusting, as they used her body for their own pleasure.

Even more worrying was the fact that these relations, swift as they were, had been at best uncomfortable and at worst positively painful. Knowing the hurt that such puny men had inflicted on her, Scarlett could not help but to fear what Rhett, with his imposing frame and large, muscular body, was capable of.

The moment she had stepped on the train with him she had felt numb with fright, barely able to wave her hand in farewell to Melly and Ashley who had come to the station to see them off. If Rhett had noticed her discomfort though he had not mentioned it, in fact she could not recall a time when she had seen him in such high spirits, as unable to supress a smile as she was to raise one. His black eyes shone with light as they swept repeatedly across her face and frame, appearing slightly glazed as if he could not quite believe that she was truly there with him.

If her anxieties kept her uncharacteristically silent, then Rhett's almost incessant chatter made sure that there weren't any awkward pauses in the conversation, his stream of small talk making time fly by as quickly as the countryside outside of their carriage window.

His good mood had continued through supper, as he regaled her with tales of his past escapades in New Orleans and opened bottle after bottle of champagne with which to toast their union. At first, Scarlett had been grateful for his exuberance, drinking the sparkling liquid down as quickly as Rhett could pour it, eager for the alcohol to calm her nerves and dull her overwrought senses.

She had feared that Rhett would mock her for her actions, making some spiteful comment about her drinking habits as he had so ungentlemanly done in the past, but he remained silent, indeed his smile seemed to widen secretively with every glass that she consumed. Had she been in her right mind then his countenance would undoubtedly have raised her suspicions, but unfortunately her plan was working a little too well, clouding her senses until she could concentrate on nothing other than the spinning sensation in her head and the decidedly nauseous feeling in her stomach.

Attempting to conceal her rising discomfort by covering her mouth with her napkin and taking deep, drawn-out breaths, Scarlett wondered how best to excuse herself from the table without alerting Rhett's suspicions. Sinking the nails of her free hand into the table in a bid to steady herself, she lifted her drooping head and willed the contents of her stomach to stay down as she opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could utter so much as a syllable though, Rhett's deep drawl cut through the heavy air of the dining cart, 'My pet, as much as I am enjoying the pleasure of your company this fine evening, I do believe it has been a rather tiring day for the both of us and we would benefit immensely from an early night.'

As sweet and reassuring as his words sounded, Scarlett could not help but frown as she focussed her blurry vision on his face. The look of amusement and superiority that she found there left her with little doubt that beneath his show of husbandly concern lay an ulterior motive, one which made her feel faint in a way that had nothing to do with the vast amount of champagne she had just consumed.

She had been hoping that he would remain in the dining cart for a while after she made her excuses from the table, giving her an opportunity to clear her muddled head and prepare herself for the ordeal that was surely to follow. But, it seemed now that she was to be denied even this small respite and reluctantly she nodded her head, her usual fiery nature extinguished by the cold, hard reality of married life.

Mutely she rose from the table and followed Rhett out of the dining cart and along the corridor, the sensation of the train rocking around her making her dizzier than ever. She kept her eyes fixed onto his back as they made their way towards their room for the night, becoming hypnotised by the way in which his muscles rippled and undulated under the loose cotton of his shirt like a moth fascinated by the beauty of the flame which it knows will bring about its destruction.

So caught up in her study was Scarlett, that she almost crashed into Rhett when he stopped abruptly outside one of the many doors that lined the corridor. Extracting a key from his pocket, Rhett moved to insert in the lock, Scarlett feeling her heart race inside her chest as he did so, suddenly terrified of the reality that awaited her behind the door to their sleeping quarters. Part of her wanted to curl up into a ball and sob while another wanted to turn and flee from Rhett, to run away despite the fact that there was nowhere she could go inside of a moving train where he would not be able to find her. The more dominant part of her however wanted to strike out at him, to fight back against her state of helplessness and refuse to submit to his will by instead forcing him to surrender to hers.

As this internal battle raged inside of her, Rhett's hand suddenly stopped midway through inserting the key into the lock and he turned to look at her with an expression both amused and concerned.

'How are you feeling my dear?' he asked, his voice deceptively smooth in a way that suggested he already knew the answer to his question.

Unwilling to show weakness, Scarlett forced herself to look him in the eye as she replied in as steady a voice as she could muster, 'I'm perfectly well thank you Rhett.'

Rhett's lips quirked upwards slightly at her answer before he commented archly, 'Why, I am glad to hear that Scarlett! You know just between you and me, I had heard that some brides tend to get a little jittery on their wedding night, but I should have known that a woman such as yourself would be above such things.'

'Jittery? Why what in earth is there to be jittery about?' Scarlett cried, adopting a bravado that she wished she truly felt, 'After all this is hardly my first marriage.'

If some of the playful light fled from Rhett's eyes at her statement, Scarlett did not notice, being too wrapped up in her own anxieties to take account of his. However she could not fail to miss the poorly-concealed bitterness in his voice as he replied, 'Indeed it is not my dear, and judging by the vast amount of alcohol you felt it necessary to drink at supper, your previous experiences must have been exceedingly pleasant I am sure.'

Startled by the anger in his voice and believing it to be aimed at her rather than her former husbands, Scarlett blushed deeply and felt her own rage rise to meet Rhett's. 'How dare you speak to me like that! If I did drink a little too much champagne at the table it was only because you kept on offering it to me! Clearly you weren't raised to be polite, but I certainly was and I refuse to debase myself just because I had the misfortune to marry an uncouth brute of a man!'

'Uncouth? Why Scarlett, someone has been reading their dictionary lately haven't they?' he sneered nastily.

Incensed, Scarlett made to retort only to be overcome by a wave of sickness and have to clamp her mouth firmly shut.

Seeing her distress, some of the malice drained out of Rhett's face and he moved quickly towards her. Unwilling to give into his touch though, Scarlett darted away from his intended embrace, her eyes communicating all of the venom that her words could not.

Rhett halted instantly in his actions upon seeing her deadly expression, his arms dropping back to his sides as if burnt by her rejection. While his jaw tightened minutely though, his face remained carefully void of emotion as he chuckled lightly, 'Only you could conduct an argument after consuming two bottles of champagne my dear! Indeed, you put on such a performance that even I forgot how unwell you must surely be feeling.' His voice grew gentle as he looked upon her, 'Do you wish to lie down?'

Touched by his show of concern and exhausted by the day's events Scarlett could only nod in response, too tired even to feel fear as she watched Rhett unlock the door to their room and move aside so that she could enter first. Her breath did catch a little however when she took in the sight of the cramped quarters, her face creasing up into a frown as she surveyed the single bed and wondered how Rhett intended for the two of them to fit inside of it.

Her consternation was forgotten however when she heard Rhett clear his throat behind her. Plucking up her courage, Scarlett raised her head proudly and turned to face him ready, if not wholly willing, to endure what was to come. She stopped short though when she saw that Rhett was not in the room with her as she had supposed, but rather that he was still standing outside in the corridor, a secretive smile playing out across his swarthy features as he held out the key to the room towards her.

Slowly she took it from his grasp, raising confused emerald eyes to laughing onyx ones as she curled her fingers around the cold metal object. Her expression made his grin widen and she found herself growing irritated at his silence, angry at the thought he was teasing her like a cat playing with its prey before going in for the kill. She opened her mouth to demand that he explain his strange behaviour when Rhett cut her off by closing his fist around her hand and raising it chastely to his smirking lips. Kissing her skin softly yet firmly in a way that had always made her shiver, he held her captive in his gaze for a moment before unexpectedly dropping her hand and stepping away from her.

'Sweet dreams Mrs. Butler' he drawled, caressing the last two words almost sinfully as he called her by her now-rightful name for the very first time. With that he turned sharply and walked away down the corridor leaving Scarlett alone in the darkness of her room bemused and unable to understand what exactly had just happened.

After a few moments of uncertainty Scarlett gathered her wits about her and rushed out after Rhett, only to collide straight into his back when she found him stood outside another door directly next to her own. Emitting a deep laugh, Rhett turned to gather her up in his arms, smoothing her tumbled hair and dress as he smiled down at her.

'My dear, I had heard that women become more affectionate towards their spouses after marriage, but if I had known that a wedding was all it took to ensure you couldn't bear to go five seconds without seeing me then I would have endeavoured to place a ring on your finger years ago.'

Still slightly dazed from his swift departure from their room and her subsequent collision, most of Rhett's words flew over Scarlett's head and, rather than becoming angry at his taunting, she could only look at him blankly. 'What are you doing Rhett?' she asked openly, 'I thought you wanted us to retire to our rooms early?'

Rhett smirked at her state of confusion and looked as if he would have enjoyed teasing her further if her earnest entreaty hadn't made it impossible for him to continue his game without it becoming cruel. Instead he smiled softly and said, 'Indeed I did my dear and so we have retired to our rooms, you to yours,' he paused to point towards the open door behind them, 'and me to mine' he continued, indicating the closed door in front of him.

Rather than easing her confusion though, Rhett's words served only to deepen it and Scarlett stuttered slightly as she asked, 'You mean that we're not sle-… we're not staying in the same room?'

'Yes my dear that is exactly what I mean, indeed it amazes me how quickly you deciphered my intentions, I doubt there is another married couple in all of the South who are as perfectly in tune with one another as we are.'

Ignoring his mocking words, Scarlett felt herself sigh in relief at the knowledge that they would be sleeping apart that night. Yet, once her initial elation had subsided her vanity could not help but be a little wounded at the thought that Rhett did not desire her enough to claim his marital rights immediately.

Her eyes grew stormy at the notion that Rhett did not want to be with her in that way and she wondered how she was ever to keep him from Belle Watling's door if he seemed to have already grown tired of her before they had even been wed so much as a day. She turned despondently to make her way back to her room when she felt a warm hand enclose her wrist and, looking up, she took in Rhett's sombre, hopeful expression.

'If you are wondering why I decided we would benefit from separate sleeping quarters on our first night of matrimonial bliss then it is because trains, though the fastest and most practical means of travelling between states, are hardly renowned for their comfortable and sizeable sleeping quarters. And while our prolonged separation shall wound me deeply my dear,' he drawled, his mouth turning up into a rakish, predatory grin, 'after waiting for so very long to make you mine I refuse to now do so under anything less than perfect conditions.'

Blushing slightly at the indecent connotations of his words, Scarlett could not help but be flattered by the fact that, rather than not wanting her, his decision was based on the desire to make the act as comfortable for her as he could. Furthermore, it eased her fears about the act itself, as surely Rhett wouldn't go to all this trouble regarding its location unless he meant to ensure that it was as painless for her as possible.

Touched by his rare show of affection, Scarlett could not help but match his smile with one of her own, enjoying the way his eyes flashed as he took in her unusually tender expression. Wishing him goodnight she had retreated back to her own room, smiling slightly to herself at the thought that marriage to Rhett might just prove to be fun after all.

Scarlett smirked mischievously to herself as she sat up in her bed, thinking that fun was exactly what the last thirty-six hours had been. After debarking from the train the following afternoon, they had made their way to their hotel by carriage, Scarlett almost spraining her neck as she twisted it constantly in every direction in an attempt to take in as much of the bustling city around her as she possibly could.

Rhett had laughed at her antics, assuring her that New Orleans would still be there tomorrow and she did not need to see all of it in the twenty minutes it would take them to arrive at their lodgings. Too caught up in her surroundings, Scarlett had neither the time nor the inclination to grow angry at his teasing and so she contented herself with simply telling to him 'Hush up!' before continuing in her endeavour to drink up the city with her eyes.

She had never been somewhere so alive before, the colour and rhythm of the streets around her making Atlanta appear even more staid and drab than it had always had. Her appreciation for the city grew even further when they pulled up outside of their hotel, its beautiful architecture and plush interior making her feel as if she was finally being given the chance to live the sort of privileged life she had always wanted to, the life that she had been raised to before the war had come along and spoilt everything.

And then there was last night, the night she had been dreading for so long and which had confounded all her previous experiences and dismantled everything that she had ever been taught to expect from married life since she was a child.

She had thought it would be painful, but it was not. She had thought he would remain aloof, but he did not. She had thought she would stay silent, but she could not.

He had taken everything she thought she knew and proven it false, opening her up to a world that she had never even suspected existed, much less experienced for herself. His murmurs and caresses had awakened something within her that she did not know she possessed, made her want things that she could not name, and do and say things that she had never dreamed of.

It had been too much and not enough at the same time and it had made her realise just how little she knew of the man she had just married, how little he had let her see until this night.

Thinking of Rhett in this way made Scarlett suddenly aware of the empty space that lay across from her on the bed, a space which her newly-wed husband should currently be occupying. Leaning back against the headboard, Scarlett scanned the room for Rhett, growing concerned when she realised that it too was empty of his commanding presence.

Thinking that he may have wandered into one of the other rooms that made up their honeymoon suite, Scarlett called out to him only to be met with a resounding silence. Her concern turning swiftly to consternation, she wondered what it was that could have caused him to leave her without a word only hours after them having shared such a wondrous night together.

Unless of course, she thought bitterly, such nights were common practice for him. Indeed, she chastised herself bitterly, she had been a fool to think that because their union had been a revelation to her it had also been one to him. Why, he probably felt pleasure like that every time he visited that ghastly saloon, perhaps more seeing as Belle was bound to know ways of pleasing a man that Scarlett's civilised upbringing had kept her deliberately ignorant of.

Such unpleasant thoughts broke through Scarlett's previously jubilant mood making her fearful that she had unwittingly revealed too much of herself to Rhett in the heat of the moment. She wished she could go back and relive the previous night, to hide her emotions by biting her tongue and preventing the moans and endearments she had uttered from ever leaving her lips. Each one had given Rhett power over her she now realised, by reacting to his touch she had shown him that she was not averse or even indifferent to it, but rather than she welcomed and longed for it.

Suddenly, the sheets in which she was covered seemed thin and insipid as she became wholly and painfully aware of her naked state beneath them. Her exposure seemed to underline the way in which she had lain herself physically and emotionally bare in front of Rhett the previous night and how he had betrayed the trust she had shown in him by abandoning her this morning. Unwilling to remain in such a vulnerable position, Scarlett climbed swiftly out of bed, hurriedly picking up her nightgown and wrapper which lay discarded on the floor where Rhett had dropped them in the early hours of the morning.

Dressing quickly, she walked over to the vanity in the corner of the room and sat down to brush her hair in preparation for heading out, determined not to let Rhett's absence get in the way of her exploring the city she had been so eager to see only yesterday.

Before she had set the brush to work untangling her knotted curls though, she heard a shuffling sound outside of her bedroom and looking into the mirror before her she saw Rhett enter the room carrying a large tray.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest at the sight of him, unshaven and dressed in yesterday's crumpled clothes. She could not remember a time she had seen him look so unkempt. Yet, rather than being affronted by his ungentlemanly appearance, Scarlett felt her stomach clench and heat rise in her cheeks upon seeing the famously debonair Rhett Butler so obviously dishevelled. A small smile played upon her lips at the thought that perhaps last night had rocked him as much as it had her after all.

She watched as he looked towards the bed that they had shared, seeing him frown in confusion upon finding it empty. Her anger all but forgotten, she could not help but giggle at the lost look upon his face. Her laughter made Rhett spin round to face her, his expression clearing as his eyes fixed upon hers through the glass.

'You're up early,' he commented, seeming to sulk slightly as he indicated the tray in his hands, 'I was planning on serving you breakfast in bed but I see that I left it too late, unless of course you want to humour me by getting back in.'

'And get crumbs all over the silk sheets?' Scarlett said, wrinkling her nose up in distaste, 'Just set the tray down next to me Rhett and I'll eat it when I'm ready.'

Rhett sighed exaggeratedly and pulled his eyebrows down in mock despair at her suggestion, yet his playful expression did not quite manage to reach his eyes, 'What a romantic suggestion my dear, you put my efforts completely to shame.'

'Romantic? Who cares about being romantic?'

'Most women on their honeymoon.' He answered shortly.

Scarlett huffed contemptuously, 'That's because most women are silly little ninnies who have to wait round for their husbands to do nice things for them because they don't have the gumption to do them for themselves.'

Rhett's lips thinned as he struggled to keep him tone light, 'Doubtless you are right my pet, but seeing as your husband has endeavoured to do a 'nice thing' as you so charmingly put it, perhaps you could humour him just this once.'

Scarlett frowned, the thought of eating in bed reminded her of the times when she'd been ill as a child at Tara and Ellen and Mammy had forced her to remain lying down for days on end when she wanted to be out playing and making mischief with the Tarleton twins. Feeling suffocated by the memory of her enforced confinement, Scarlett's voice was harsher than she intended when she bit back, 'I'm not some child for you to pet and fawn over Rhett. I'm perfectly capable of eating my own breakfast when and how I want, I won't have you treating me like a baby!'

'It wasn't my intention to treat you like a child Scarlett, I'm perfectly aware of how independent you are, indeed I find it to be one of your more attractive qualities.' Rhett said, his voice becoming dangerously smooth, 'If I was trying to treat you as anything, it was as something precious, after all you didn't seem to object to such gentle handling last night.'

Scarlett gasped at his scandalous words, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as she tore her eyes away from his, unwilling to let him see the tears of mortification that were threatening to spill out. Trying furiously to blink them away before he saw how his cruel comment had affected her, Scarlett did not hear him move across the room to her side. As such, she jumped violently when she felt the warmth of his large hand come to rest on her shoulder before she tried to jerk her body out from under his touch.

'I'm sorry Scarlett,' Rhett breathed, reaching out with his other hand to softly stroke her hair. Scarlett froze, unable to remember the last time that he had apologised to her for something that he had done. 'I didn't mean to upset you. I wanted this day to be as perfect as last night was, perhaps I was trying a little too hard to make that happen.'

Comforted by his words and the feel of his hand in her hair, Scarlett felt herself relax into his touch, closing her eyes as she revelled in the soothing sensations he was evoking. Still tired from lack of sleep, Scarlett had almost drifted off when Rhett's fingers snagged in a knot of hair and made her cry out in pain.

Swiftly he withdrew his hand, his eyes widening comically in the mirror as he took in her bedraggled state for the first time since entering the room. His mouth turning up into a smug grin he taunted, 'My dear I don't believe I've ever seen your hair so untidy, I wonder how it came to be this way.'

Blushing once more, Scarlett turned round in her seat to face her husband, hitting him playfully in the stomach before murmuring embarrassedly, 'You know full well how it got so messy Rhett, it's all your fault!'

Rhett grin grew wider as he chuckled, 'Indeed it is my dear, now why don't you let me make it up to you by feeding you breakfast.'

Scarlett rolled her eyes, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused by his stubborn behaviour, she had never seen Rhett act so freely before and while it was undeniably disconcerting she could not help but by swept along by the tide of his enthusiasm. Struggling to compose her features, Scarlett employed the negotiating skills that had helped make her such a formidable business woman, 'I'll eat my own breakfast Rhett' she stated, her neutral expression almost breaking up into a smile as she took in his look of disappointment, 'but if you promise to take me shopping this afternoon then I will allow you to brush my hair for me while I eat.'

Rhett's eyes snapped joyfully as he smiled, 'And what makes you think that I even want to brush your hair my dear, let alone badly enough to put my hard earned money at the mercy of your greedy paws?'

Putting on her best game face Scarlett squared her jaw and turned back towards the mirror before picking up the brush that lay discarded on the dressing table, 'Fine' she taunted, 'have it your way.' Fixing her eyes on Rhett's in the mirror she raised the brush to her tangled tresses and began to brush them out. She supressed a smile as she watched his conflicted expression through the glass, well aware of the internal battle he was fighting within himself at that moment, torn between the desire to be close to her and the fear of giving in so easily to her demands.

After a minute or two he sighed loudly and turned away, disappointment gripped Scarlett as she watched him walk across the room to the door and she wondered if she should sacrifice her pride by calling him back and telling him that she had only been teasing. Before she had made up her mind though, Rhett had reached the other side of the room, but instead of heading out of the door he walked over to the table next to it and picked up the breakfast tray he had left there.

Turing round, he caught sight of her blinding smile in the mirror and threatened playfully as he walked back towards her, 'Not a word Mrs. Butler, not a word, and you better eat every single bite if you know what's good for you.'

Still grinning stupidly, Scarlett could only nod her head in silent agreement as Rhett placed the tray down in front of her and lifted the lid to reveal freshly baked croissants with jam and butter. Handing the brush over to her husband, Scarlett reached out and grabbed one, too impatient to bother with the fillings as she eagerly crammed the warm pastry into her mouth. Laughing lightly at the mess she was making Rhett slid onto the stool behind her, coming to rest his legs either side of hers as he began to gently untangle her hair.

'I thought you didn't like crumbs my pet?' he teased, earning himself a scowl from Scarlett as she took another bite, covering herself with a fresh shower of pastry flakes as she did so.

They sat like that for some time, Scarlett devouring her breakfast while Rhett made his way gently and methodically through the haystack that was her hair, brushing it until it fell against her head smoother and shiner than ever. Scarlett felt the warmth of his body seep into her own through the thin fabric of her wrapper and couldn't help but lean back into his embrace after she had finished eating, closing her eyes as she felt him put down the brush and wrap his arms around her stomach as he pressed her tightly against his frame.

Lowering his head he pressed soft kisses into her hair and along her neck, making her shiver despite the heat of his body as her skin erupted in goose-pimples. Making his way up slowly to her ear, he nuzzled her skin with his nose before sucking gently on her lobe in a way that made her feel hot and slightly dizzy. Leaning back, he blew cool air over the wet skin before whispering huskily, 'Why don't we go back to bed?'

Her stomach erupting into flames, Scarlett pulled away from Rhett, overcome by the tide of emotion that was currently sweeping across her body. Overwhelmed by such unfamiliar emotions and terrified of how much she had come to feel for the man behind her in such a short space of time, Scarlett scrambled for an excuse that would allow her to put some much needed distance between herself and her husband.

Remembering their earlier bargain she quickly protested, 'But you promised me a day of shopping if I let you brush my hair, or would you have me tell everyone that Rhett Butler isn't a man of his word.'

Pulling her back into his embrace, Rhett murmured, 'My dear right now I couldn't give a damn what you tell everyone, God knows they're probably heard worse things about me as it is.'

Struggling against his hold Scarlett rearranged her face into a pout, 'But Rhett,' she whined in a voice that she hoped sounded petulant rather than breathless, 'you promised me, and I do so want to see New Orleans!'

Sighing Rhett relaxed his grip, allowing Scarlett to scramble free, 'You're a hard woman Mrs. Butler' he grumbled as he watched her walk away towards the closet to get dressed.

Regaining her composure now that she was out of the dangerously powerful draw of his arms, Scarlett turned back towards him and smiled confidently, 'Maybe I am, but that's why you married me.'

As she entered the closet and prepared to pick out a dress for the day, Scarlett thought she heard him reply, 'There is only one reason why I married you my pet and it wasn't that.'

Her curiosity momentarily peaked, Scarlett considered going back into the bedroom and asking him what that reason was before she remembered that their marriage was nothing more than a business deal for him, a way of acquiring her body in the only way he could.

She wondered why the thought hurt her so badly, after all he had made his reasons perfectly clear from the start and it was not as if she was in love with him anymore than he was with her. Yet, these first moments of married life had been so intense, so utterly different from what she had been expecting that she had almost forgotten that this marriage was a sham, that they weren't really in love.

Forcing such unpleasant and confusing thoughts out of her head Scarlett concentrated on the task at hand, comforting herself with the thought that if Rhett's heart was not hers then at least his wallet was and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make the most of it. After all Rhett had promised her fun and she was going to make sure that's exactly what she got, even if it wasn't quite in the form that these lat two days had made her long for.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on it. To the guest who asked if we were going to see Scarlett reacting to the fact women find Rhett attractive then we definitely will in the next chapter, although this one focusses more on Rhett's thoughts upon seeing men flirt with Scarlett as a jealous Rhett is too much fun to not to explore! There might be a longer gap before my next upload due to uni work, but I'll try and finish it as soon as I can for you all. Thanks again for reading and please let me know what you think._

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'So cheer for the Bonnie Blue flag that bears a single star!' Scarlett's voice rang out through the cool night air filled with passion- and more than a little alcohol- as she tipped her head back and sang to the stars.

Beside her Rhett allowed his normally stoic mask to slip for a moment, too captivated by the bewitching spectacle that his wife was making of herself to even attempt to conceal his joy. Since meeting her all those years ago at Twelve Oaks, Rhett had come to believe that he knew everything there was to know about Scarlett O'Hara. After all, he had seen her at her best and at her very worst and, while she never ceased to amuse him, he had thought he knew her too well to ever again be surprised by her actions. How very wrong he had been!

Staring at her now, her black tresses floating in the breeze created by their open carriage, her cheeks red with a heady combination of dancing and drinking and her emerald eyes brimming with emotion, he realised that he had never before seen her this uninhibited, this beautiful nor, his heart clenched hopefully at the thought, this happy.

Tenderly Rhett reached out and took her small hand in his larger one, marvelling at the sight of the gold band that adorned her ring finger. He rolled the cold metal between his thumb and forefinger, twisting it back and forth as if to reassure himself that it was really there, that after all this time Scarlett had indeed finally become his wife.

Wife. The foreign, glorious word fizzled on his tongue as he whispered it silently to himself. She was his wife. He had waited for so long to make her his, and faced so many setbacks along the way that even now, six blissful, exhilarating, terrifying days after their marriage, he still couldn't quite bring himself to believe that it was real.

Part of him was almost waiting for someone to turn up and declare that there had been a dreadful mistake and that their union was not legal, that such perfect happiness simply did not exist in this world. Personally his bet was on her already being married to someone else, after all she had an uncanny knack of saddling herself with another husband every time he dared to turn his back on her for more than a minute.

Rhett grimaced slightly as he recalled how nervous he'd been to leave her in Atlanta after proposing. The thought that she would evade his clutches once again while he was abroad had haunted his mind continually during his trip and more than once he had cursed himself for being such a coward as to leave her in the first place. And yet, he knew that if he hadn't headed for London straight after she'd said yes, then he would have only ended up humiliating himself by trailing after her like a love-sick fool for the months leading up to their wedding.

And as much as he longed to declare his love for her, as much as staying quiet made his throat constrict until he felt that he must surely either blurt it out or choke, the thought of the scorn she would no doubt shower on him if he did so was enough to keep him forever silent.

Yet, watching Scarlett as she launched into the next verse of Bonnie Blue Flag, Rhett couldn't help but think that maybe there was something in her smile that suggested that she wasn't as indifferent to him now as she had once been.

Tearing his eyes away from her enticing form for a moment, Rhett glanced round at his surroundings only to groan with irritation when he realised they were only a minute or two away from their hotel. Knowing that the other residents might not prove such a willing audience to her song as he himself did, Rhett conceded that it was time to bring Scarlett's impromptu concert to a swift, if reluctant, conclusion.

Softly he squeezed her hand, maintaining the pressure until she turned unsteadily to face him. 'My pet, as much as I am enjoying your unrivalled performance of one of our fair land's most rousing tunes, I fear that our patrons for the night shall not share my enthusiasm. And seeing as it is far too late an hour to find ourselves another hotel- or at least one that will live up to your exacting standards- I must regretfully request that you save the remainder of your song until we are safely tucked up in our room.'

'Oh Rhett,' Scarlett huffed, her soft singing voice being replaced by far less angelic tones as her eyebrows slanted down in a frown, 'I don't care if they don't approve! God knows I haven't had much reason to sing these last few years and I'll be damned if I'm going to let a bunch of old guinea-hens stop me now that I do.'

Rhett grinned rakishly at his wife's spirited words, unable to keep the flame from illuminating his dark eyes as he let her words sink in. He was pleased beyond measure to hear that she was enjoying her honeymoon, after all he had promised her that he would show her a good time and Rhett Butler was not a man to go back on his word, especially not when the potential reward for sticking to it was so great.

Even so, he had been worried that he was falling short in his attempts to make her happy, Lord knew Scarlett was hardly the easiest woman to please at the best of times, so to be told that this wasn't the case eased his concerns and made his already swollen heart beat just that little bit faster.

With the knowledge that Scarlett was enjoying their time together, Rhett felt confident enough to push his luck slightly and, turning to face Scarlett fully, he replied, 'You may not care what they think of you my dear, but you're not the one who paid out more money than it is decent to mention in order to obtain the bridal suite in the best establishment that this fair city has to offer.' Pausing for a moment, he softly stroked the sensitive skin of her wrist, smiling as he felt her pulse race under his tender touch before saying earnestly, 'So if you won't cease for their sakes then I beg you most humbly to do so for mine.'

Scarlett's forehead creased back into another, larger frown as she contemplated whether or not to comply with his request before she nodded reluctantly, 'All right Rhett, seeing as you asked so nicely, I promise to be good. Although only until we get past reception, then I'm going to finish my song and I don't care if it wakes up the entire street!'

'Why my dear,' said Rhett with mock astonishment, 'I do believe this is the first time in all the years that we have known each other that you have done as I asked. And to think all I had to do was to ask nicely! Why, think of all the aggravation I could have been spared if you'd only told me sooner!'

'Oh hush up, you conceited thing!' Scarlett pouted, 'besides this isn't the first time, I agreed to marry you, didn't I?'

Rhett's teasing smile grew genuine at her words and he said solemnly, 'Yes Mrs. Butler, indeed you did.'

The brief moment of sincerity was quickly interrupted however when the carriage began to slow down before rolling to a stop outside of their hotel. Rhett swung down lithely from his seat and went to pay the driver, making sure to tip him handsomely for having endured Scarlett's caterwauling so silently.

Walking back round to where Scarlett sat he offered her his hand, making sure to grip hers tightly when he noticed her swaying as she struggled to stand up. Sure enough, as she made to step down from the carriage, her foot caught in the hem of her gown and she fell heavily against him, making him stumble backwards a few paces and only avoid hurtling to the floor altogether by the narrowest of margins. Rhett cursed under his breath as her knee crashed painfully into his thigh and her head slammed into his chest.

Scarlett however seemed thoroughly unhurt by her trip, indeed she seemed to find the entire situation greatly amusing, breaking out into a fit of giggles as she found her footing. With her mouth pressed closely against the exposed skin of his collar, Scarlett's laughter sent shivers shooting across Rhett's body as her warm breath coasted over him. His eyes darkening with desire at the feel of her soft, pliant body in his arms, Rhett's thoughts turned to how he could get her up to their room as quickly as possible.

He briefly considered picking her up and carrying her there, but the thought of the incredulous looks this show of affection would no doubt earn him from the hotel staff quickly doused the idea before he had a chance to act on it. Instead he sighed and moved to put some distance between himself and his alluring wife, nevertheless making sure to keep a firm hold on her as he did so to prevent her from falling again.

Tucking a hand under her chin and lifting her flushed face to meet his, he asked seriously, 'Scarlett, I need to get you inside, do you think you're well enough to walk up to our room?'

'Of course I am Rhett!' Scarlett snapped indignantly, 'I'm not a child. This is hardly the first time I've had a little too much to drink!'

Despite the lateness of the hour and the quietness of the street, Rhett was unable to prevent himself from laughing loudly at her response, only Scarlett O'Hara could say something so scandalous while acting so utterly superior.

'Now Rhett,' she said primly while her green eyes danced, 'whatever do you think you're doing making such a racket at this time of night? You'll get us thrown out if you don't stop and then I'll never forgive you.'

Rhett chuckled at her attempt at a joke, pleased to see that his teasing nature was beginning to rub off on his new bride, 'Oh but you would my dear, I don't believe there's anything I couldn't get you to forgive me for if I tried hard enough.'

Scarlett merely snorted contemptuously at his remark whilst swaying slightly on the spot, her unsteady movement reminding Rhett that no matter how lucidly she might be able to speak, her actions would no doubt give away her drunken state to all those inside the hotel. Gently he wrapped an arm round her waist, pulling her slim body in line with his own and anchoring her securely to his side.

'We're going to go in now Scarlett,' he explained slowly, 'just lean into me and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and I'll do the rest.'

Taking her silence for consent, Rhett tentatively took a step forward, pleased to find that she managed to follow him without too much trouble. Carefully, in this manner, they made their way up to the entrance of the hotel, Rhett gripping Scarlett tightly as they passed the doorman and entered the lobby.

Sweeping the room quickly with his eyes, Rhett heaved a sigh of relief when he found that the place was deserted but for the elderly man behind the front desk who didn't seem to be paying them much attention.

Rhett manoeuvred Scarlett across the marble floor towards the staircase as swiftly as he dared, finding himself almost regretting that he had bought the bridal suite for them when it was on the top floor. The thought of getting Scarlett up five flights of stairs in her inebriated state was not a pleasant one and it was with great reluctance that he slowly began the ascent up the first few steps.

They were almost half way to their room walking slowly but surely, when Rhett heard a noise above him and, looking up the staircase, his heart sank when he took in the sight of Henry Walters walking down towards them.

Walters was a distinguished looking man in is late twenties who had taken a shine to Scarlett from the minute that they had first arrived. Though he was harmless enough, it irritated Rhett beyond measure to see another man so openly trying to charm him wife, not least because Scarlett, ever on the lookout for new admirers, seemed to encourage his flirting every time they bumped into him.

Rhett recalled with distaste their previous meeting at a ball in town the night before last. He had been forced to leave Scarlett on her own for a few minutes while he spoke to an old acquaintance of his from his blockading days, Delilah Weaver. She had been the wife of one of his crew members, a man who he had lost his life during the war and Rhett thought it only right to offer her his respects even if they were so long overdue.

Throughout his conversation with Delilah, Rhett could feel Scarlett's eyes burning into his back and wondered what it was that had upset her so. When he had finished talking to her though and turned back to his wife, he found that she was no longer where he had left her. Concerned about where she could have gotten to, Rhett spun round to examine the rest of the hall only to hear her pealing laughter cut across the general commotion.

His relief was short lived however as he turned towards the sound only to find her in the arms of another man, and not any other man either, but the very man who had been soliciting her since the day they first came to New Orleans.

Rage and jealously tore through him until he could barely restrain himself from pulling out his pistol and shooting Walters where he stood. His blood boiled as he watched the two of them dancing, grimacing at the way he held Scarlett so tightly, how he made her smile in a way that only Rhett wanted to be able to.

Deeper than his anger though was the immense feeling of hurt that overtook Rhett, he felt betrayed by Scarlett's fickleness, unable to hide his disappointment that she would humiliate him so readily by seeking out another man when they were still on their honeymoon. Of course she had always been callous and, knowing her as well as he did, her behaviour should hardly have shocked him, and yet in the days that they had been married he allowed himself to hope that she was beginning to feel something for him.

Late at night as they lay entwined together in their king sized bed, her whisperings and caresses had begun to break down the walls around his heart. They revealed a softer side to Scarlett, a side which he had always known existed, but never dreamed he would get to see for himself. The fact that she was not only allowing him to witness this gentleness, but was directing it solely at him, filled Rhett with the hope that one day she might finally come to love him as he had always loved her.

Yet, there was nothing of the Scarlett he saw in the dead of the night in front of him now. Indeed, this was a different Scarlett entirely, the Scarlett who had ruthlessly pursued her best friend's husband right under everybody's noses, the Scarlett who seemed to take pleasure in hurting him.

Part of him wanted to turn and walk out of the hall and never look back. To keep on walking until he got far enough away from his green-eyed vixen to break the spell that she had weaved upon him so many years ago. He might well have done it too if she hadn't chosen that exact moment to look in his direction, her head turning towards him instinctively as if she'd sensed rather than seen where it was that he was standing.

Her gaze swept over his face expectantly, her ruby red lips curving up into a smug smirk as she took in his pained countenance and in that moment he realised what game it was that she was playing. Overcome with relief, Rhett only just managed to stop himself laughing out loud at the antics of his young wildcat of a bride. She was not dancing with Walters because she wanted to, but rather to make him jealous, to get back at him for leaving her to talk to another woman.

It was so petty and childish and so very Scarlett and in that moment Rhett felt the last vestiges of his heart which didn't already belong to her wave the white flag of surrender. She was infuriating and stubborn and cruel, but she was everything that he had been searching for his entire life and he'd be damned if one day he didn't make her see it.

Stalking across the dance floor like a tiger towards its mate, Rhett smirked as he watched his beloved's eyes widen with a mixture of shock and fear. It still amused him how she could be so brazen and yet so inhibited at the same time, how she was still held back by a fear of social scandal that he had long since learnt to suppress.

Reaching the pair, he coughed politely before tapping Walters none to softly on the shoulder and asking if he could cut in. Scarlett bristled as he took her small frame in his arms, her face wrinkling up into a frown as she made her displeasure known.

'I don't know why you had to spoil my night Rhett, I was having a perfectly lovely time with Henry before you interrupted.' She snapped, her use of Walters first name causing Rhett to flinch.

He struggled to maintain a light tone as he commented, 'My pet, don't you think that on their honeymoon it would be more fitting if the newly-wed couple danced with each other rather than with other people? I know that, unlike youself, I'm new to this marriage business, but I do believe that it how it is generally done in polite circles.'

Scarlett's eyes flashed with rage and poorly-concealed jealously as she bit back, 'You're right Rhett, you must be very ignorant of how to behave once you're married if you think that leaving your wife to talk to another woman in the middle of a ball is acceptable.'

His body filling with warmth at her possessive, affronted tone, Rhett found that for once he had no wish to continue teasing Scarlett, despite the becoming flush that it brought to her cheeks. Instead he smiled at her with true affection as he said, 'I stand corrected my pet, rest assured that it shall not happen again. Although I beg you not to scold me too harshly, as while I may have been talking to her, my thoughts, as always, were only for you.'

Rhett's smile grew larger as he watched Scarlett freeze as his unexpected words sunk in, noticing how she scanned his face cautiously for a sign of his usual sarcasm before sighing contentedly when she came up empty. His black eyes noticed how her lips turned up at the corners as he appeased her wounded vanity.

'You know though Scarlett, I'm not the only one who's been acting inappropriately. Can you not see how it wounds me whenever you trifle with that boy?'

'What boy?' she asked bemusedly, still seemingly caught up in the daze that his previous words had invoked.

'The one who was stepping on your toes before I so gallantly came to your rescue.'

'Oh you mean Mr Walters I suppose, though I'm sure I've never trifled with him.' Rhett silently raised an incredulous eyebrow making Scarlett blush slightly, 'well alright maybe a little, but only because I enjoy watching your reaction. Most of the time I swear I haven't a clue what it is that you're thinking about, but at least in those moments I have a pretty good idea.'

Her comment had shocked Rhett, making him realise that in attempt to conceal certain emotions from Scarlett he had also been excluding her from the ones he wanted her to see; namely his genuine affection and high-regard for her person, making it impossible for her to feel entirely comfortable with him. Emboldened by her words and actions, Rhett had made sure to keep his customary mask down for the rest of the night, letting Scarlett in as much as he possibly could without allowing his love to be exposed.

Yet, though they had undoubtedly grown closer as a result, and despite the fact that he was confident she felt nothing for Walters as a man, he could not now contain the swell of irritation that rose up in him at the sight of him coming down the stairs towards them.

One of his most secret delights upon marrying Scarlett was finding out that after consuming slightly more alcohol than was strictly acceptable in polite society, his wife was apt to shed her more formidable characteristics and return to the wide-eyed, gambolling innocent that she had been before the war. In such a state of merriness she was always far more openly affectionate with him than she was when sober, less worried about how such actions might make her look weak in his eyes.

Indeed, in addition to the pleasure he received from holding her a little too closely in his arms as they swept across the crowded ballroom, it was this that motivated him to take her out dancing each evening. For on returning to their hotel suite Scarlett, having undoubtedly consumed more than her fair share of champagne, would open up to him in a way that he had scarcely allowed himself to imagine was possible, a way that made the gnawing ache he had experienced every single day that he had been forced to wait for her suddenly seem like all too small a price to pay.

It pleased him greatly to know this was a side to Scarlett that he alone had had the pleasure of witnessing, a side that even the esteemed Mr Wilkes had never been fortunate enough to glimpse. Tonight though she had drunk more than ever before, going past the state where the alcohol served only to ease her nerves to the point where she was approaching almost full-blown intoxication. The thought that Walters of all people was going to witness her in this defenceless and unladylike state made Rhett feel oddly protective of his bride and he was torn between an urge to shield her from sight with his body and a darker one of pushing Walters down the stairs before he had a chance to notice her drunken demeanour.

His inner dilemma was interrupted however when Scarlett raised her head from where it had been lolling comfortably on his shoulder and recognised the man walking down towards them.

Too far gone to be embarrassed, Scarlett's face instead broke out into a wide smile upon seeing Walters, a smile that made Rhett wish he'd gone through with his plan to hurl the man down the flight of stairs after all.

'Why Henry how lovely to see you!' she crooned, her voice a level or two above what was strictly decent.

'Mrs Butler the pleasure is all mine as always,' he replied eagerly, a little too eagerly for Rhett's liking.

'Rhett and I have had the loveliest evening, we danced and danced all night long. Indeed -just between you and me- I do believe I've quite worn a hole in my new shoes!'

Walters chuckled inanely at her words as if he had never before heard something so amusing, an action which made Rhett tighten his hold on Scarlett and endeavour to bring their impromptu meeting to a swift end.

'Well Mr Walters,' he said firmly, 'as lovely as it undeniably is to see you, I'm afraid that it is rather late and if we don't retire now for the night then we shall never be up in time for breakfast.'

He took a step forward with the aim of pulling Scarlett along with him, only to be pulled backwards when she stood rooted to the spot, her hand on her hip and a scowl etched across her face.

'But I haven't asked Mr Walters if he'd like to hear my song yet Rhett.' She pouted in an endearingly child-like manner.

Struggling to repress his exasperated sigh in the face of her stubborn behaviour, Rhett tried to think of the best way to prevent her pout turning into a full-blown tantrum while simultaneously stopping her from embarrassing herself in front of Walters and waking up the entire hotel to boot.

'My dear,' he said, stepping back to her side and leaning down to whisper quietly in her ear, enjoying the look of jealously that swept across Walters face at the intimacy of his gesture, 'I though we agreed that you wouldn't sing until we reached our room. Remember we made a deal and a business woman such as yourself should know better than to go back on her word.'

Shivering slightly at the feel of his breath on her ear, Scarlett looked momentarily stunned before she pulled back and frowned threateningly, 'Actually I only promised to keep quiet until we'd gotten past reception Rhett, I would have thought that a business man such as yourself would know better than to enter into an arrangement without first being clear of the terms.'

Unsure whether to be proud or irritated by her cunning, Rhett found himself laughing and scowling at the same time while silently marvelling at the way his wife was the only person who had ever been able to outwit him, sober or not. Though he normally despised losing in any and all forms, Rhett found to his surprise that losing to Scarlett only increased his affection for her, underlining the fact that he had well and truly met his match.

'I'd be honoured to hear your song Scarlett' Walters piped up, his use of her first name making Rhett's blood boil.

'See?' said Scarlett accusingly, 'Henry appreciates my talents even if they are wasted on you. I bet you wouldn't make me stop halfway through a song that I was enjoying singing just to please some stuffy old nobodies now would you Henry?'

'Why no Scarlett, if I had a wife half as beautiful or creative as you then I would make it my duty to show her off to everyone I met rather than hide her away from the world.'

'Well that's one of the many ways in which you and I differ Walters,' Rhett said stiffly, only managing to keep his anger and jealously under control by the smallest of margins, 'I would never treat my wife as an object to be flaunted about in front of everyone.'

'Oh Rhett,' Scarlett frowned, smacking him lightly on his arm in protest, 'that's not what Henry meant at all, if I were his wife he'd treat me like a prize and not an object.'

'Is there a difference my dear?' he questioned sardonically, unsure as to how a night which had started off so well and had seemed to promise so much had managed to deteriorate so quickly. Indeed he was half considering heading out to a saloon after he'd dropped Scarlett back in their room, overcome as he was with a need to drink away his sudden bout of bitterness. It would be the first night since they had arrived in New Orleans in which he would not sleep by her side, but suddenly the thought of their nocturnal separation appealed to him almost as much as it had previously pained him.

'Of course there is.' Scarlett said, her tone more quiet and sombre than it had been all night, 'Every girl wants their husband to treat them as if they're special rather than shameful.'

Catching a fleeting emotion sweep across her face, Rhett raised his hand to her chin and angled her head towards him, forgetting Walters's presence as he carefully scanned his wife's eyes.

Beneath the slightly glazed over expression she wore as a result of the champagne, he detected a forlorn look as if something had wounded her more than she was willing to fully admit.

Sighing deeply and cursing his own stupidity in forgetting that Scarlett's flirtation with Walters was always motivated by his own failings as a husband rather than by a genuine desire for the man, Rhett felt his anger at the two of them slowly drain away as he thought how best to fix his earlier mistake. He should have anticipated that his highly-strung wife would take his appeal for her to be quiet the wrong way, seeing his request as a sign that he was embarrassed by her drunken actions when in truth he was even more captivated by them than he was with everything else she did.

Moving the hand that held her chin so that it gently cupped her cheek, Rhett leant in towards his wife, unable to supress a smirk when he saw how her eyes dilated and her face flushed in response to his tender actions.

'My pet you can sing as loudly as you want to, you can wake the entire neighbourhood, the entire city even if it pleases you to do so. There is nothing that you could do that would make me ashamed of you.' At her look of scepticism he continued, 'You should know by now that I'm not a man who cares for the good opinion of others, indeed I have always found it to be far more amusing to invoke their criticism. Don't you see that it was your own reputation that I was trying to protect? That I did not want you to wake up in the morning and feel humiliated by the events of the night before? '

'After all' he teased gently, 'unlike my good self, you have always been far too cowardly to speak and act in public as you do in private and I would hate for your long-standing hypocrisy to be uncovered for the sake of one night's amusement.'

Hating the look of uncertainty she wore as she looked at him with wide, misty eyes, Rhett's heart clenched at Scarlett's uncharacteristically soft tone as she asked, 'Really?'

Deciding to meet her rare act of openness with one of his own, Rhett pulled her to him and met her lips with a gentle kiss, savouring the way she sighed against his skin, her cool breath ticking his chin. Bending down to lean his forehead against hers he looked her squarely in the eye and whispered firmly, 'Really.'

He was rewarded for his candour with a breath taking smile, 'So you do like my singing then Rhett?' she enquired smugly.

Grinning lightly he could not help but tease, 'I wouldn't recommend you give up your businesses to take it up professionally my dear, but as for myself I will always prove a willing audience to whatever tunes you choose to delight me with.'

Scarlett attempted to scowl at his words, but her bright eyes gave away her amusement. Rhett was going to suggest they headed upstairs when Walters, no doubt upset at having been seemingly forgotten about by the object of his affection, chose that moment to make his frustration known.

'So now that your husband wishes to hear you too Scarlett, what song are you going to sing for us?'

Rhett chuckled as Scarlett jumped slightly at the sound of Walters's voice, her cheeks growing red as she remembered where she was and tried to pull away from the improper embrace she was currently enjoying with her husband.

Turning towards him she looked unsure of what to say before finally muttering, 'I think I'd rather finish my song in my room if you don't mind Henry, I wouldn't want to wake the other guests up after all.'

'Are you sure my dear?' Rhett taunted, reluctant to end the exchange with Walters now that he knew he had the upper hand, 'It's no concern of mine if we disturb the other residents.'

Glancing at him with pleading eyes Scarlett said, 'I know that Rhett, but I'm afraid I'm suddenly feeling a little under the weather and I think I'd better return to our suite as soon as possible.'

Grinning inside at the opportunity she had just unknowingly handed him, Rhett schooled his features into those of a concerned husband as he raised his hand to theatrically check the heat of her brow and cheeks. 'My darling, why did you not say so sooner? I must beg you to forgive me for being remiss enough not to notice your suffering. Why we must get you back to our rooms immediately.'

Without another word he bent and scooped her into his arms, biting back a laugh when Scarlett screamed in surprise.

'Rhett put me down this instant, it isn't decent!' she cried, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as she shot an anxious look over at Walters who stood before them with his mouth all but hanging open at Rhett's audacious display.

'I'm sorry my dear, but as you husband I'm afraid it is my duty to put your health before matters of social decorum. Now if you'll excuse us Walters I must be getting my wife upstairs before her condition worsens any further.'

Unable to contain his enjoyment any longer, Rhett smirked broadly as he passed by a stunned-looking Walters and all but sprinted up the remaining two flights of stairs to their floor. His arms tightened round Scarlett as he felt her annoyance give way and her body relax into his hold.

Striding across the corridor towards their room, Rhett cursed when he stopped outside of their door only to realise the key was trapped in his pocket. Wrapping his arm more firmly around his bride and moving closer to the door so that she was wedged between it and his body, he reached down and tried to extract the key without dropping her. The situation wasn't helped when Scarlett, no doubt enjoying his predicament, began giggling softly in his ear, her cool breath on his skin making on impossible for him to concentrate properly.

'My pet unless you want to become better acquainted with the carpet then I suggest you stop distracting me with your laughter until I get this damn door open.'

Unperturbed by his aggravated tone, Scarlett only laughed harder, her whole body shaking in his arms until he could barely restrain himself from abandoning his attempts to open the door and simply taking her against it.

'Oh Rhett!' she grinned indulgently, 'let me do it.' Before he could say a word in protest she reached round and batted his hand away with hers, her slim fingers easily sliding inside his pocket and taking out the key where his large ones had been unable to.

Eyes shining smugly, she handed him the key before laying her head back on his shoulder while he opened the door to their suite.

Walking through the lounge area to their bedroom, Rhett laid Scarlett down gently upon the mattress before standing back up to take off his dinner jacket and loosen his cravat. Staring down at his wife, her black hair streaming across the white sheets and her ivory skin made almost translucent by the moonlight that trickled in through the window, he was once again struck with the irrational fear that he was dreaming, that all the happiness that he had experienced in these last few days was an illusion and that he would soon wake up to find himself in Belle's, as lost and alone as he had always been.

Needing reassurance that she was really there he bent down to kiss her, covering her body with his own as if trying to stop her from ever leaving. His heart clenched as he felt her respond to his touch, her lips parting under his own as she sighed softly and contentedly into his mouth. Reaching for her hand he entwined his fingers with hers, while his other hand came up to stroke her hair.

Lost in the moment, he almost didn't notice when she turned her head away from him, instead using it only as an opportunity to rain kisses down on her throat and neck.

His trance was broken however by the sound of his name as she called out to him while moving her hand to push against his chest.

Leaning back he surveyed her face with concern, scared that he had done something to hurt her despite having been so deliberately and painstakingly gentle jn his actions, keeping the passion he ached to show her under a curb-bit as always.

Rather than pain or anger though, the only emotion he could detect in her eyes was slight irritation and wordlessly he raised a sardonic brow in question.

'Rhett I thought you wanted to hear the rest of my song.' She pouted petulantly, her lips pursing up in a way that was far too enticing to resist.

Lowering his head Rhett peppered kisses across her mouth and cheeks until her scowl turned into a reluctant smile, 'Indeed I do my darling, and so I shall later on, but right now I have an altogether different kind of performance in mind, one that I'm sure will prove equally if not more pleasurable for the both of us.'

Rhett grinned as he watched Scarlett roll her eyes at his bad joke while trying not to giggle. It was in that moment that he decided to stop worrying about whether or not all this was too good to be true and simply enjoy it while it lasted. He knew that this honeymoon period could not last forever, after all he and Scarlett were far too confrontational and hot-headed in temperament for their relationship to be this harmonious all of the time. Yet, while rougher tides no doubt lay ahead of them, he was determined that they would not capsize, that he would do everything in his power to keep them afloat.

Reaching out to his wife, Rhett let his fears and anxieties fall away along with the walls that he had constructed to keep her at a distance as he eagerly lost himself in Scarlett and fantasies of their future life together.


	3. Chapter 3

_To those few hardy readers who still remember who I am and are interested in this story I want to apologise for having been away for so long, uni work got incredibly crazy and all my free time got eaten up with studying for my final essays. I've finally handed them in now though and I have a four month summer before my masters starts with which to bombard you all with more Scarlett and Rhett goodness. I'm extending this story to six chapters now and this is a nice, mostly fluffy one to get back into the swing of things. Hope you enjoy and please review, even if it's just to berate me for being MIA these last few months!_

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'What about that one?' Scarlett heard Rhett ask as they walked together down New Orleans's busiest street.

Turning, she glanced at the dresses displayed in the shop window before hastily shaking her head in contempt, 'No, I told you Rhett, it has to be something extra special.'

Rhett frowned but managed to hold his tongue as they continued along the pavement, an uneasy silence falling between the two of them. Scarlett knew that even by her own exacting standards she was being unreasonable, after all Rhett was only trying to help her and this was the tenth shop that he had suggested in the last hour only to be rebuked by her ever-increasing scorn. It wasn't even as if the dresses that he pointed out were below par, indeed they, like all the others before them, would have met her needs ordinarily, but today ordinary just wasn't going to cut it.

After all not many woman achieved sufficient renown in a city that they were only staying in for two weeks to warrant having a party thrown entirely for their benefit and Scarlett was determined to find a dress that was befitting of such an honour. No doubt Rhett thought she was just being vain, and while she'd be lying if she said the idea of outshining all the other guests didn't bring a smile to her lips, in truth she wanted to prove herself worthy of the effort that her newfound acquaintances had gone to on her behalf. And if she was to do that then she needed to find a dress that would not only make her stand out from the crowd, but which would allow her to tower above it.

She sighed as she remembered how easy all this had used to be, back before the people of Atlanta had turned against her. In those days she had been the undisputed belle of every ball she attended rather than the social pariah who was lucky to get an invitation to even the most meagre of gatherings. Gatherings that she previously would have turned her nose up at, but which she now not only attended, but actually felt grateful to be welcomed at. She could not help but despise the few women like Melanie who continued to stand by her when the rest of Atlanta was so quick to turn its back. She hated the idea that that felt sorry for her, that these silly, mousey women somehow felt as if they needed to protect her; as if Scarlett O'Hara had ever needed the help of others to survive.

Why, in the times before and during the war no party was considered a true success unless she was among its guests, her mere presence able to make even the most minor of social events instantly noteworthy. She remembered with the note of sadness that she always felt in the rare moments when she allowed herself to look back on those long-gone, much-missed days how the men would all flock to her side the moment that she arrived while the girls, though jealous of her beauty and less open in their admiration, nevertheless all clambered to find out where she had had her dress made and how they could copy her hairstyle.

But, just as they had once run to her, now people fought to put as much distance between themselves and her as possible, their whispers no longer motivated by envy and awe but by hatred and disdain. Where once Scarlett had stood proudly in the middle of the room, confidently demanding everyone else's attention, now she was condemned forever to the side-lines, her former light extinguished by the permanent shadows of her many, irredeemable misdeeds.

But here in New Orleans, hundreds of miles away from home and beyond even the reach of her infamous reputation, Scarlett had been presented with the chance to start afresh, to reclaim her rightful place at the head of the table rather than having to live off its crumbs. It was an opportunity that she had never expected to encounter again in her life, and she would be damned if she wasn't going to make the most of it. So while Rhett knew her preferred style perfectly, pointing out dresses which were bold and brash and only just the right side of vulgar, it was precisely because that they were to her taste that she was forced to reject them. After all, it was exactly these sorts of dresses that had caused her standing in Atlanta to fall so rapidly and if she wanted the residents of New Orleans to think of her as a great lady then it was vital that she started to dress like one.

Scarlett frowned slightly, thinking that the last time she had been this concerned over what dress to wear to a party there had only been one person that she was trying to impress. Her attempt that day to win Ashely over with her beauty and charm could not be considered as anything other than a complete and utter disaster though seeing as he had not only failed to profess his undying love for her, but had also used the occasion to inform her of his intention to marry Melanie. Indeed, that day which she had so hoped would be the beginning of her new life had instead signalled the end of her old one as the subsequent war had seen both her reputation and the very South itself reduced to nothing but ashes which mocked their once former glory.

'I fear I already know the answer,' Rhett drawled, his deep voice breaking through Scarlett's inner musings and making her jump slightly, 'but at the risk of incurring your wrath my dear I must ask the dreaded question once again.'

Annoyed at having had her thoughts interrupted and confused by her husband's infuriatingly enigmatic words, Scarlett could only frown as she snapped irritably, 'What question, Rhett?'

Rhett sighed theatrically and adopted a look of mock reluctance as he raised his hand to indicate the window to their left and asked for the eleventh time that morning, 'What about that one?'

Swivelling her head, Scarlett barely bothered to slow her stride as she glanced into the shop that they were currently passing. Sure enough the clothes inside were nothing like the ones she was looking for, their gaudy colours appealing to her heart every bit as much as they contradicted the image of the dignified, ladylike dress that she carried in her head.

Seeing her continue to walk on without stopping, Rhett testily declared, 'My pet, as much as my wallet is rejoicing at your sudden reduction in expenditure, I would like to eat at some point today and if you do not feel up to choosing a dress for yourself then I will happily pick one out for you at the very next store we come across no matter how ugly or ridiculously overpriced it may be.'

Ignoring his jibe Scarlett continued striding forwards, refusing to be distracted away from her mission by starting a fight with her husband. In fairness, she was surprised that it had taken him this long to lose his temper with her, she knew that under normal circumstances he would have begun making such threats long ago. Yet, since their earlier dispute this morning at the hotel Rhett had been unusually gentle with her, biting his tongue at her unreasonable behaviour as if fearing to make the divide that had sprung up between them any wider than it already was.

Scarlett's bad mod had begun the moment she was torn rudely from her slumber by the feel of Rhett snatching the covers from her, destroying her warm cocoon and exposing her body to the chill of the early morning air. Apart from their first day in New Orleans, he had always previously chosen to wake Scarlett by sitting down beside her on the bed, drawing her gently out of her unconscious state with the feel of his hands caressing her hair and the smell of freshly made breakfast. It was a routine that she had come not only to tolerate, but to actively look forward to. A simple ritual that made mornings- which up until now had been her least favourite time of the day- somehow seem all the more bearable. She did not understand why Rhett had suddenly decided to change tactics, nor did she appreciate his new way of waking her.

Cold and annoyed, she had yelled at him to give her back the sheets only for her irritation to escalate swiftly when, instead of doing as she asked, Rhett's only response was to chuckle at her show of temper. Scarlett was about to reach out and grab them back from him when to her shock Rhett dropped the bedcovers onto the floor before swiftly grabbing her bare feet in his hands. Instinctively Scarlett yanked them away from his grasp, but he held on, smirking devilishly as he pinned her legs to the bed with one hand before commencing to tickle the soles of her feet with the other. Screeching at the torturous sensation that his calloused fingertips were provoking, Scarlett began to writhe on the bed, twisting and turning her body in a frantic attempt to escape his hold. Instead of relenting though, Rhett only increased both the speed and pressure of his actions causing a peal of helpless giggles to be pulled from Scarlett's throat even as she screamed at him to stop.

Moving so that his knees now came to rest on the mattress, Rhett finally relinquished his hold of her feet only to crawl up over her body, his black eyes flashing dangerously as he did so like those a panther moving in for the kill. Relieved that her ordeal was seemingly over and fighting to get her breath back, Scarlett did not notice his stealthy advance until he came to lie directly over her, his chest separated from hers by only a few, small inches. Gulping down the much needed air, Scarlett opened her mouth to yell at him only for Rhett to drive every coherent thought from her mind when he suddenly grabbed her round the middle and began to mercilessly tickle her much-too sensitive sides. Her eyes widening in surprise, Scarlett squealed loudly and tried to fight him off, bringing her hands up to his chest in an attempt to push him away.

Grinning widely, Rhett easily stilled her efforts by lying down on top of her, eradicating the space between their bodies and pinning her to the bed by resting his weight upon her. While his eyes remained bright and playful, Scarlett stiffened at his movement as the vexing, but harmless game that they had been engaging in up until now seemed to her to become something far more serious and sinful.

Despite imploring Rhett to stop, Scarlett had been secretly enjoying their moment of frivolity up until this point. She had not been tickled since she was a child, had forgotten the hedonistic pleasure of engaging in this most delicious of tortures. She could never have imagined sharing such an innocent yet enticingly intimate activity with either Charles or Frank and part of her rejoiced in the fact that Rhett could make her laugh so uncontrollably after years of suffering and struggling to make ends meet. But on feeling his body press up so tightly against hers, his face coming to dominate her vision until it was all that she could see, Scarlett lost her sense of joy and began to feel increasingly trapped and uncomfortable. Suddenly she was all-too aware of her partially clothed state and the indecency of her attempts to escape his hands which caused her to wriggle and rub up against his body in the most scandalous of ways.

At night she had slowly been learning to let her guard down, to lose herself beneath the comforting cloak of darkness and engage in acts that previously would have seemed abhorrent to her but which, with Rhett, somehow felt nothing but right. Yet this was not night time, indeed the morning sun was streaming through their open window clearly illuminating both their room and their actions and provided her with no means of concealment. She could hear movement out in the hallway as the hotel slowly came to life and her stomach clenched at the thought that the other guests might hear them or, even more horrifying, that a servant might walk in and see them.

Yet deeper than even these pressing fears was the notion that Rhett was altogether too close to her for comfort. In their current position she could make out every inch of his face, see every emotion that swept across it and the idea that he could read her just as easily terrified her beyond measure.

Since their wedding her feelings regarding Rhett, once set in stone, had grown increasingly muddled and uncertain. While at first she had only ever thought of him as an infuriating skunk who lived only to antagonise her, and then more recently as a much-needed confidante to whom she could gratefully unload all of the worries and problems that no one else was strong enough to help her carry, now she wasn't entirely sure how to view him. Somehow or other in the last week he had escaped the confines of the simple boxes that she had previously placed him in, extending his place within her thoughts and life until there hardly seemed to be much room left for anyone else.

She wasn't altogether sure how she felt about this sudden change in their relationship, but she was certain that the last thing she wanted was for Rhett to discover her increased affection for him. Panicking, Scarlett tried to mask her confused emotions by forcing her eyes to convey nothing but anger and resentment as she pushed violently against Rhett's chest and shouted at him to get off of her.

On seeing her hardened expression, some of the teasing light fled Rhett's eyes and a frown darkened his expression. The movement of his hands faltered slightly and Scarlett used this opportunity to wrench herself out of his grasp, flinging herself hurriedly off the bed as she all but ran to the closet and shut the door behind her with a resounding slam.

Safely encased within its four walls, Scarlett regained her breath and blindly grabbed the first dress that her hands fell upon, not wanting to go another second clad only in her flimsy nightgown. She cursed as she realised she would have to forgo her corset for now, blanching at the idea of allowing Rhett to fasten it for her despite the fact that he had done so every other morning of their honeymoon, refusing to allow the maid to do it instead.

She had just begun unbuttoning the dress in preparation for putting it on when she was startled by a rapping on the closet door.

'Scarlett,' Rhett's voice reverberated through the wood, sounding oddly hesitant, 'are you feeling unwell?'

'I'm perfectly fine Rhett,' she replied, her tone a little breathier than she had intended, 'I just remembered that I haven't yet bought a dress for the party tonight that's all. We really must be leaving soon if we are to have enough time to shop before eating.'

Her words were greeted with nothing but silence, making Scarlett wonder if Rhett didn't believe her explanation or if he had simply gone to get dressed himself.

Her question was answered a few moments later when Rhett said, 'Very well my pet, far be it from me to come between you and your attempts to plunge me into a state of bankruptcy.'

Flinching slightly at his harsh words and even harsher tone, Scarlett was nevertheless relieved that, unconvinced as he undoubtedly was by her reasoning, he had chosen not to press the issue any further.

Hearing him begin to move away from the door, Scarlett called out uncertainly, 'Rhett?'

'Yes, my dear?'

'Um… do you think you could call a maid to help me dress?' she asked, knowing that her words would only serve to sour his mood further.

Sure enough his voice was deceptively smooth and without emotion when he replied, 'Of course, I'll see that one is sent up immediately.'

It was this impersonal, carefully guarded tone that he had been using with her all morning and while part of her preferred this withdrawn approach to open hostility, Scarlett could not help but miss the easy companionship that they had built up during the rest of their trip. It felt almost as if her and Rhett were strangers again, walking side by side like two casual acquaintances rather than a husband and wife.

It was only now that it had been taken away from her that she began to realise how much she had enjoyed the glimpses behind the mask that Rhett had allowed her. How much she had come to relish the idea that he let her to see a part of himself that he hid from the rest of the world.

Her feeling of discontent grew when Scarlett turned her face away from inspecting the passing shops to glance up the street and spotted the Fairleigh sisters walking towards them. She saw their eyes widen as they recognised Rhett, identical blushes rising on their pale cheeks as they ran their eyes back and forth across his face. Jerking her head in Rhett's direction, Scarlett scowled as she watched a smug smirk break out across his swarthy features as he too became aware of his approaching admirers.

It was not as if Scarlett hadn't always known Rhett was handsome, indeed before he had decided to ruin his reputation the women of Atlanta had been equally susceptible to his rakish charm. But while his tanned skin and broad frame had always made her pulse quicken, Scarlett had never really given his looks much conscious thought having had far more pressing issues to deal with.

Even upon their marriage, when such thoughts, once all but non-existent had slowly begun to multiply, they had never caused her much distress. Safe in the knowledge of her own beauty, she was not insecure enough to feel jealous when women turned their heads in the street to stare appreciatively at her husband. Indeed she revelled in the attention, enjoying the thought that her and Rhett made a striking couple.

Secretly she even enjoyed it when other women flirted with him, relishing the way their faces would cloud over with resentment when Rhett politely but firmly refused their none-too subtle offers. At such moments he would tighten his arm around Scarlett's waist, or perhaps plant a kiss amongst her curls, some such small gesture which made it clear that he was already spoken for. It stroked her ego to see such women frown at his affectionate gestures towards her, made her feel powerful to know that Rhett could have had any woman that he wanted and yet had chosen her.

She would always return his tender actions with ones of her own, placing a hand on his chest or turning to rest her forehead against his cheek, gestures inspired less by a genuine surge of feeling for her husband and more by the wish to forcibly mark him as her territory. She would always glance over to her competitors as she did so, relishing the way they would glare heatedly at her as she touched Rhett in ways that they wished they were able to. Smirking back at them in a clear sign of triumph, she would then lead Rhett away, her step surer and more confident than ever.

But with women like the Farleigh sisters no such feelings of victory were possible. For they did not view Scarlett as competition, indeed they hardly seemed to notice her at all. Their attentions towards Rhett were not motivated by an attempt to steal him away from Scarlett, but rather by the simple fact that they found him attractive. As such they would rush to his side eager for any and every ounce of attention that he was willing to bestow on them like a pair of over-enthusiastic puppies desperately craving the notice of their owner.

Such actions irritated Scarlett beyond belief, she despised the way they would gaze up at Rhett with eyes as wide as saucers, hated that he would indulge their childish infatuations by adopting his most charming persona, complimenting them shamelessly as if they were the two most attractive women in all the world rather than two plain sisters with a silly crush.

Sure enough, Rhett dramatically swept his panama hat off his head as they approached, sinking into an exaggerated bow as they came to stand before him.

'Why Louise and Anne, how fortunate we are to happen upon the two finest young ladies that this fair city has to offer.'

Scarlett rolled her eyes as the sisters flushed and simpered at his greeting, biting down sharply on her tongue to stop herself from making a cruel barb at their expense.

'Mr. Butler you know that's not true,' Anne, who at nineteen was the older of the two and slightly braver than her sister, replied.

'And you know that I've asked you to call me Rhett, Mr. Butler makes me feel far too old.' Rhett teased, 'Now to what do we owe the unexpected pleasure of your company?'

'Well Mr…'Anne began before hastily checking herself as Rhett raised a gently admonishing eyebrow, 'I mean Rhett, Louise needs a new shawl to wear to tonight's ball so we thought we'd come into town to purchase one.'

'Ah,' said Rhett adopting a faux concerned look, 'I'm afraid you may be unsuccessful in your endeavour.'

'Why's that?' asked Anne.

'Well I have already been forced to walk past every single shop in New Orleans this morning and I have yet to see any article of clothing that is remotely worthy of ladies of your high calibre.'

As the sisters dissolved into a fit of nervous, but ecstatic giggles at Rhett's flattering words, Scarlett threw him an angry glare only to felt her temper rise when she saw that he was too busy grinning at his admirers to notice her.

Unused to being ignored by him and finding that she did not care to experience such neglect, Scarlett decided to take matters into her own hands. Moving closer to Rhett, she linked her arm through his and, smiling condescendingly at the girls in front of her, said with poorly concealed spite, 'As much as I'd love to stand here and talk all day my husband and I need to be getting on so if you don't mind we'll be seeing you at the ball this evening.'

Tugging firmly at Rhett's arm, she hardly allowed him the chance to say goodbye to the wounded-looking sisters as she hurriedly dragged him down the street.

'My pet, if you wished to be alone with me then you need only have asked, there was no need to be so rude about it.' Rhett said, a knowing smirk playing out at the edges of his mouth as he stared at her through dancing black eyes.

'Hmph!' Scarlett snorted, too annoyed to notice that Rhett had abandoned his earlier icy demeanour, 'I couldn't care less about being alone with you Rhett, I just couldn't stand to be around them a moment longer.'

'Louise and Anne?' he asked in a falsely innocent voice, 'why they are two of the sweetest women I have met since we arrived here, and New Orleans is famous for the hospitability of its ladies.'

'Well if your idea of sweet is being a simple-minded fool then perhaps you should have married one of them instead of me!' she cried angrily, uncaring that her shocking words were overheard by half of the street.

Rhett laughed loudly and pulled on her arm so that she swung round to face him, 'Is that a note of jealously I detect Mrs. Butler? Now I think about it perhaps the reason you've been unable to find a dress this morning is because you're too distracted by my enticing presence to concentrate on shopping.'

For the second time that morning Scarlett found herself face to face with her husband fearful that her tumult of feelings for him were close to being exposed. Feeling her earlier panic bubble back up in her stomach, Scarlett's thoughts once again turned to escape.

Scoffing derisively, she pulled away from him and blindly ran into the closest doorway declaring, 'Hardly Rhett, in fact I've found the perfect shop.'

Once inside her vision cleared and looking around her Scarlett's heart sunk as she realised her error. Instantly she knew that this shop did not possess one single item that held any interest for her, indeed it didn't even hold any dresses. Rather than running into a clothes shop as she had assumed, Scarlett's panic had instead caused her to flee into a book shop.

Wondering if she could return outside before Rhett noticed her mistake, Scarlett went to turn around only to feel her cheeks flame and her feet stick to the floor at the sound of her approaching husband's mocking laughter.

'Why Scarlett, I do believe I've underestimated you! Here I was thinking my new bride was as shallow as she is beautiful, when in fact I've been married to a secret bibliophile all along. Tell me, my dear, which author is your favourite? Do you prefer novels or poetry? Dickens or Scott?'

Hating his jeering tone and furious at herself for allowing him to gain the upper-hand in this way, Scarlett closed her eyes and took a deep breath steeling herself before turning to face Rhett.

His eyes were alight with mischief as he smirked down at her, revelling in her discomfort. Not trusting herself to speak Scarlett could only scowl at him, a scowl which deepened when he took advantage of her silence to continue his teasing.

'Personally I prefer Scott, there's only so many descriptions of slums and workhouses that one can take before it all gets a little tedious, but of course I am only an amateur in this field and would be honoured to hear the opinion of a true literary connoisseur such as yourself.'

Not having the slightest clue what Rhett was blathering on about, but unwilling to admit defeat, Scarlett looked around her for the largest and most impressive book she could find before saying haughtily, 'I don't have time to talk about such pointless things with you Rhett, I only came in here because I haven't yet bought a gift for Ashley and Melanie and you know how much they love reading.'

Walking over the shelf that held the enormous book she had selected, Scarlett failed to see how the laughter drained from Rhett's face at the mention of Ashley's name, but she could not miss the bitter tone in his voice as her replied, 'Indeed I do my dear, they after all possess all the marks of good-breeding and a cultured mind that you so pointedly lack.'

Reaching the volume Scarlett did not even have time to lift the cover before Rhett was beside her, his breath heavy and heated upon her ear, 'Although I am surprised that you cared enough about finding them a suitable gift to interrupt your previously urgent need for to buy a dress, but then that's you all over isn't it my pet? Always thinking of others rather than yourself, how fortunate I am to have found a wife who spends her own honeymoon thinking of those she left behind at home.'

Surprised by the unconcealed malice of his words and unable to understand the reason behind his sudden anger, Scarlett's felt her own temper rise as it always did when she felt that she was being backed into a corner. 'I don't know what's the matter with you Rhett Butler! Melanie has always stuck up for you and now your acting like I'm committing some awful crime by wanting to buy her a present.'

Rhett's eyes narrowed as he sneered, 'If it was really Melanie that you were buying this for then I wouldn't have a problem my pet.'

Scarlett frowned in confusion and was about to ask him what on earth he was trying to get at when the proprietor, no doubt having overheard their squabble and not wanting a fight to break out in his shop hurried over to them.

'Is there anything that I can help you with Madam?' he asked, smiling cautiously at her while his watery blue eyes silently begged her not to make a disturbance.

Embarrassed at the thought that others had noticed their disagreement, Scarlett flushed and nodded her head quickly, 'Yes, I'm interested in buying this for a friend.' She explained, indicating the momentous tome of a book that lay on the shelf in front of her.

'Ah Shakespeare,' the shop keeper exclaimed, his eyes brightening with appreciation as he took in her choice, 'A fine purchase if I do say so myself, you have exceptional taste.'

Feeling herself swell up at his compliment, Scarlett could not help but glance back at Rhett, lifting her eyebrows as she met his dark orbs as if to prove that she was indeed a literary connoisseur after all- whatever that may be.

Rhett's eyes flashed at her expression, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips before he spoilt the mood by commenting, 'Indeed it is, although it's no surprise that you should feel an affiliation with such a work my dear, after all your resemblance to Lady Macbeth is exceedingly striking.'

While the name itself meant nothing to Scarlett, the small gasp that the shop keeper emitted at Rhett's words left her in no doubt that he had meant the comparison to be an offensive one. Bristling with indignation that Rhett would so openly insult her in front of a complete stranger, Scarlett only managed to reign in her temper by the smallest of margins, gritting her teeth as they walked over to the counter to pay for the book. The shop keeper grunted as he lifted the huge volume from its resting place, carrying it awkwardly in his arms before dropping it heavily onto the counter with a relived sigh.

Once Rhett had handed over the required payment, Scarlett waited for him to pick up the book only for him to turn and make to leave the shop empty-handed.

'Rhett I think you've forgotten something.' She called after him, her tone amused as she enjoyed having gotten the better of her husband for once.

Instead of shamefacedly returning to collect the forgotten book however, Rhett merely swivelled his head round to grin sardonically at her, 'Why my dear, it was your idea to get the gift and far be it from me to take it from you.'

Frowning, Scarlett watched as Rhett calmly exited the store leaving her stranded in the middle of the floor unsure of what to do next. After watching the shop keeper struggle to carry the book from the shelf to the counter she wasn't confident that she'd even be able to pick the thing up without dropping it and breaking every bone in her foot, but she knew that conceding defeat and following Rhett onto the street without her purchase would hurt her pride even more painfully.

Squaring her shoulders, Scarlett deliberately ignored the shocked and sympathetic look on the shop keeper's face as she bent and hoisted the volume into her arms. Biting back a curse as the weight of it threatened to topple her over, she bit down hard on her bottom lip and slowly made her way out of the store. Her back was already aching by the time she emerged out of the doorway back onto the pavement, scowling as she took in the sight of Rhett leaning against the brickwork, casually smoking a cigar as if he didn't have a care in the world.

'You took you time,' he commented lightly, a rakish grin breaking out across his dark features.

Scarlett was seriously considering throwing the book down on his foot when, as if he sensed her violent intentions, Rhett suddenly sprang away from the wall and began walking down the street, calling at her over his shoulder to hurry up or they'd never get to eat lunch.

Glowering at Rhett's retreating form and wishing with every ounce of her heart that looks really could kill, Scarlett made to follow him, her arms and back protesting with every small, unsteady step that she took.

Concentrating as she was on trying not to drop Ashley and Melanie's present, Scarlett didn't notice when Rhett stopped only thee shops down from the book store and as a result she was only prevented from stumbling headlong into him when he held out an arm to restrain her. Snapping her head up in surprise, Scarlett's frown deepened when she saw him smiling down at her.

'Do you mind Rhett, it's hard enough carrying this damned thing without you standing in my way.'

'Apologies my dear,' he drawled, 'I only stopped you because I thought you might be ready to rest and have something to eat, but if you want to continue on then by all means be my guest.'

Turning her head to the side, Scarlett saw that they were indeed standing outside a cafe and her upper body screamed at her to accept Rhett's suggestion and go inside. She knew that he was trying in his own, perverse way to make things up to her. They hadn't planned on eating until after she had bought her dress and if he'd wanted he could easily have engineered it so that she'd have to lug the book up and down the streets of New Orleans until either her back or her pride gave out and she was forced to stop. Instead, he was offering her a way out and she was fully intending on taking it when a sly thought entered her head and presented her with an opportunity for revenge too enticing to pass up.

Tilting her head as if she was considering his offer, Scarlett waited a moment or two before reluctantly nodding. 'I suppose we could eat now if that's what you want Rhett.' She said, knowing that he'd interpret her words as a way of being able to put the book down without having to admit that she wasn't strong enough to carry it much further.

Sure enough Rhett smiled indulgently at her, Scarlett having to grit her teeth to stop herself from laughing at how easily he'd fallen into her trap.

Taking a small step towards the entrance of the café she faked a grimace as she put her left foot down and let out a small gasp. 'Are you alright?' Rhett asked, his hand instantly wrapping around her upper arm in a bid to steady her.

'I'm fine,' she hissed, 'I've just got a stone in my shoe that's all, I'll get it out once we sit down.'

'Nonsense, if it's hurting you then you shouldn't walk on it,' Rhett replied, 'give me the book and take it out now.'

Sighing exaggeratedly, Scarlett allowed him to take the book from her, rubbing her arms and cricking her neck in relief once the offending weight had been lifted. Keeping up the pretence she bent to the ground and made a show of removing the imaginary stone from her shoe, careful to keep her face hidden from Rhett in case she smiled and ruined her game.

Composing her features, she rose to stand back up holding out her arms in a silent invitation for Rhett to return the book to her.

Raising an eyebrow, he said, 'I think I can manage it from here to the table Scarlett.'

Fighting to keep her face straight, she replied airily, 'If you're sure.'

Scarlett watched as he began to walk towards the doorway of the café, enjoying the slight awkwardness of his gait now that he was laden down.

She waited until he was almost on the threshold before calling out, 'Oh Rhett, just one second, the dress in the next window is just perfect! Can we go look at it?'

Without waiting for an answer she took off, practically skipping down the street towards a shop with a window display so ghastly that even Melanie, who had absolutely no sense of style, would turn up her nose at it. Moments later she heard Rhett's footsteps, noticeably heavier than his normal light-footed tread, approaching her and fought back a giggle as she took in his appalled expression.

Glancing at her with what looked like concern he said, 'Scarlett I fear that all this shopping has made you delirious if you think that that's an acceptable gown to wear to a ball, why I've scarcely seen anything more vile in my life and that's coming from a man who's fought in a war, spent time in jail and had the misfortunate to witness you drooling all over his pillow.'

Pretending to be hurt by his remark, Scarlett said meekly, 'Oh, well I guess if you really don't like it then I won't buy it.'

'Scar…' he began somewhat apologetically.

'No, it's fine Rhett. We'll just have to keep looking, in fact I hear there's a great little shop two streets over that has the very best dresses in all of New Orleans.'

'Whatever you want,' he replied, still clearly trying to make up for his perceived insult by agreeing to her every wish, 'after we've eaten we can head straight there.'

'You know Rhett,' Scarlett said, a devious smile breaking out across her face turning her a eyes a dark, dazzling emerald, 'Lady Macbeth's suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore.'

Rhett stared at her in confusion for a moment before his eyes flashed and the corner of his mouth twitched as if unsure of whether it should frown or smile, 'Why you conniving little…'

'Ah ah, no time to talk now Rhett, we need to get there before all the best dresses are gone.' Scarlett smirked, taunting him further by walking backwards down the street as Rhett tried to catch up with her, but was unable to having his progress severely hampered by the load he was now carrying.

'You just wait my pet, you just wait.' He threatened menacingly, but Scarlett wasn't fooled, the dancing light in his eyes assuring her that he was amused rather than annoyed by her antics.

Scarlett only smiled wider and teasingly stuck out her tongue before spinning back round the right way and continuing on down the street, pleased that the tension that had existed between them for most of the morning seemed finally to have lifted and wondering if maybe her feelings towards Rhett, so confused up until now, weren't beginning to get a little clearer after all.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey again! It's been a while since I finished a chapter ahead of schedule rather than at least a week behind so enjoy, but don't expect it to happen too often! This one's a bit different from the others in that we get to see Rhett interact with some of his old acquaintances- apologies if that bit runs on too long for some of you, I got a load of info off Wikipedia and was determined to use it all! Also I did quote a conversation Rhett and Scarlett have from the book with a few changes, the direct quotes are in italics though and no copyright breach was intended, do let me know though if that's not acceptable, I'm not very clued up on such matters! Thanks for reading and as always please review._

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'If you don't stop picking at that dress my dear then there will be nothing left of it by the time we arrive,' Rhett cautioned lightly, 'and while I for one would enjoy the ensuing spectacle, seeing as I sacrificed half the day helping you find it I would prefer if people actually got to see the damned thing.'

Scarlett scowled darkly at his words before reluctantly pulling her hands away from her dress and crossing her arms in front of her chest. The fact that she did not respond verbally to his teasing words though gave Rhett cause for concern. He had known that something wasn't quite right with his wife all evening, but the fact that she had just turned down a perfectly good opportunity to shout at him meant that something must be seriously wrong with her.

For a man who prided himself on knowing the inner workings of Scarlett O'Hara's head better than anyone else either living or dead- perhaps with the sole exception of Mammy- he disliked the fact that he did not understand the reason behind her agitated state. It had begun with their shopping excursion this morning, never before had he seen her take so long to choose a dress. Why, normally he had to forcefully restrain her from buying every outfit that she laid her greedy little eyes upon, fearful that even his considerably large bank balance would not hold out against his new bride's desire to own every piece of clothing in New Orleans.

Yet, though he outwardly discouraged her, inwardly Rhett found great joy in watching Scarlett shop, smiling at the way her eyes grew large and childlike as she took in the riches on display around her. He relished how excited she got when he purchased something for her, her hands clutching at his arm as she reached up to plant a kiss on his all-too-willing cheek. He knew it was petty, but in moments such as these the fact that he was considerably wealthier than her two previous husbands combined gave him a feeling of immense satisfaction. Realistically he knew that he could not buy her love of course, but with someone as vain and shallow as his beloved bride he could not help but hope that by giving her more things than Charles and Frank had been able to, he would somehow gain greater possession over Scarlett than either of them ever had.

Another thing he loved about taking Scarlett shopping was how predicable she was when it came to choosing clothes. After only a week and a half of marriage Rhett was certain that he could walk into any shop in the South and locate the exact dress that Scarlett would choose in under a minute. While Rhett would like to say that this newly acquired skill was a direct result of his near-telepathic understanding of his bride, in truth his task was made easier by Scarlett's appallingly cheap taste in clothing. No matter how distinguished a shop he took her into, she would unfailingly choose the trashiest dress it had to offer, drawn to gaudy colours and shiny fabrics like a moth to the proverbial flame.

While at first he had tried to improve her style by picking out more subtle, classy outfits which better befitted a woman of her beauty and status, after being met with her bull-headed resistance he had soon abandoned any attempts to educate his wife in the field of haute couture and instead come to take pleasure in her unique approach to fashion.

Today though, Scarlett had not been interested in such dresses, confusing Rhett by turning her nose up at clothes which she would normally have pleaded with him to buy for her. Moreover, she had systematically refused every single dress that he pointed out to her making Rhett worry that he had been wrong in his belief that he knew her taste better even than she herself did. She had kept on about how this outfit need to be extra special, as if that night's party were some terribly important affair to be attended by kings and queens rather than a ramshackle assortment of his carpetbagger and scallywag friends.

He could not understand why she seemed so fixated on finding the perfect dress, nor why she now kept picking at that said dress as they made their way by carriage to the house of Edward Kellerman, an associate of his from back in the days of the Californian gold mines. Curiously he swept his eyes across her face, noting the troubled look in her eyes and the tight, pinched expression that she wore. Lowering his gaze he took in her stiff, uncomfortable posture, annoyed that her dress covered her so completely that it denied him the opportunity to pick up more clues as to her current emotions from her body language.

Not only was her dress far more modest in style than her usual ensembles, but it was also far more muted, being made of a dull, almost-brownish red rather than her traditionally bright and glaring choice of colours. He did not know why but everything about it offended him, sure it was elegant and dignified and all that a respectable woman's dress should be, but somehow or other it seemed an insult to his wife, diminishing her presence and making her almost ordinary. He found himself missing the very sort of clothes he had previously tried to stop her from wearing, only now appreciating how their bold, brash style reflected Scarlett's personality perfectly, announcing her as a force of nature who would not be tamed by the social codes that other women conformed to.

Indeed, it was this very distain for the rules that had attracted his attention in the first place, her decision to wear a low-cut evening dress to the barbeque at Twelve Oakes instantly singling her out from the other women and informing Rhett that at last he had found someone who, though similarly high-born, did not belong in such elite and depressingly dull company any more than he himself did.

He frowned as he realised that had she worn her current dress to that gathering he would not have bothered to take notice of her, would have written her off as yet another well-mannered, empty-headed southern lady unworthy of holding his attention beyond the time it would have taken him to note her flawless magnolia skin and unusually engaging emerald eyes.

Why, had she worn such a dress as she was now he would never have taken the trouble to track her movements, would not have noticed how she flirted shamelessly with the men around her, drawing them into her carefully-constructed web in the hope of ensnaring her true prize; the esteemed Mr. Wilkes. Indeed, had he not developed such a searing, intense interest in this previously unknown woman who had somehow seemed so achingly familiar, he would never have become embroiled in a row over the South's prospects in the imminent Civil War with a group of such silly, misguided young men. Men who were only now significant in the fact that they clearly desired the very woman he had so recently set his sights on and therefore must be put firmly in their place.

He frowned as he realised that, had he not fought with them he would not have needed to escape to the peace and quiet of the library, would not have overheard the most entertaining and delectable of conversations, one which had transformed the course his entire life would take from there on out.

Caught up in his decidedly unpleasant thoughts, Rhett failed to notice when the carriage stopped outside of their destination, being pulled back to reality only when Scarlett prodded him sharply in the ribs and murmured, 'We're here Rhett.'

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Rhett made to climb down only to have Scarlett pull him roughly back into his seat. Confused by her irrational behaviour, he made to turn around and question her when he caught sight of the Fairleigh sisters walking past accompanied by their parents. Breaking out into a smug smirk he spun his head and raised a knowing eyebrow at his wife, relishing the way that her cheeks flushed even as she scowled angrily at him.

Nothing in this world felt sweeter to him than Scarlett O'Hara's jealousy. It was proof, however faint and flimsy, that she at least cared about him enough to want to keep him out of the clutches of other women.

Feeling his earlier irritation at his wife's unfathomable behaviour fade away, Rhett took her hand in his as pressed it chastely to his lips, wanting to reward her rare show of feeling by letting his own affection shine through if only for the briefest of moments.

Waiting until the sisters had entered the building and disappeared from view, Rhett stood up and swung down from the carriage before helping Scarlett to alight, offering her his arm as they began to walk up to the house.

Passing through the doorway and climbing the staircase to the large, lavishly decorated reception room, Rhett smiled at the absurdity of the saying that crime does not pay. For while Kellerman was far from an honest man, having joined Rhett in many a dubious scheme in the past, his current fortune implied that he had never been made to suffer for partaking in such illicit activities.

Sure enough, as they were greeted at the entrance to the reception room by Kellerman and his wife Rhett took in their extravagant attire, noting how Rebecca was wearing so much jewellery that she sparkled almost as brightly as the room's two imposing crystal chandeliers.

'Good of you to join us Butler' John remarked, slapping him heartily on the back, 'my wife was beginning to worry that the guests of honour would be missing from their own party.'

Beside him Rebecca blushed with embarrassment and told him to hush, 'I knew that you'd come, I was just a little worried Mrs. Butler might not be feeling up to it that's all,' turning to Scarlett she asked with concern, 'are you all better now?'

Rhett bit back a smirk at the look of confusion that passed across his wife's face, her forehead creasing in a way that told him she was clearly questioning Mrs. Kellerman's sanity.

Deciding to help her out, he leant down towards her and murmured, 'You remember don't you, my dear? How you were taken ill in church last Sunday.'

The angry glare that Scarlett shot his way told him that she did indeed remember how she had been forced to feign a coughing fit in order to cover up the giggles brought on by the incredibly rude and inappropriate tale Rhett had been whispering to her while the minister droned endlessly on about redemption and sin and a whole host of other topics which were far too sanctimonious for his tastes.

'Yes thank you Rebecca,' she answered in the falsely sweet voice that had always irritated him, concealing as it did her true biting and captivating tone, 'I don't know what came over me, there must have been something nearby that simply didn't agree with me.'

Grinning at her thinly concealed barb, Rhett enjoyed the sensation of him and Scarlett sharing a private joke while their hosts for this evening looked on unawares. He wondered idly if they too had moments like this, moments of intimacy in crowded rooms in which they sparked off each other and felt more intensely alive than ever before. He supposed that they probably did, after all they were people like himself and Scarlett, brassy and brazen and not afraid to overstep the boundaries of conventional marriage etiquette which implied that such unions should be built upon respect and duty rather than love and desire.

Yet, he could not help but think that even if they did enjoy such similar interactions they would never quite manage to live up to the ones that he and Scarlett regularly partook in. They were both such beautiful, confident, intimidating people as individuals that together they could not help but create something truly unique and extraordinary. Joking, relaxing, fighting, in love and in hatred, they effortlessly outshone everyone else. There was just something so powerful about their connection, an electricity that hummed louder than anyone else's, a passion that simply could not be matched.

Of course, he knew that Scarlett herself would not see it that way, in fact he doubted that she ever gave their relationship much thought at all, and yet the fact that the flame remained between them in spite of her indifference made Rhett wonder just how brightly it would burn when she finally opened up her heart to him.

'Scarlett!' came a shrill cry from across the room, simultaneously pulling Rhett out of his musings and Scarlett away from his side. Making a hasty farewell to the Kellermans his wife hurried across the room to her giggling gang of cohorts, women who had taken to her from the moment of her arrival in New Orleans and set her up as a sort of leader for their motley crew. Shrieking and simpering they made her spin round for them, all rushing to complement her dress and be the one to earn her much sought after smile of condescending thanks.

Rhett chuckled darkly at the display, both happy to see Scarlett reinstated to the position of Belle of the ball that he had helped her to lose in Atlanta and cynically amused that she had found her true place not among the elite crowd favoured by Mr and Mrs. Wilkes, but with the same disreputable rascals that he had always considered his friends.

Indeed, it was one of these very morally-dubious, but straight-talking men that now signalled to him from a shady corner of the room, breaking away from the group discussion he was currently involved in to wave Rhett over.

Taking leave of John and his wife, Rhett approached them slowly, carefully scanning the faces of the men in the group in order to try and gauge what it was that they wished to talk to him about. For though he liked and trusted these people- well as much as one could ever trust a scallywag- and could not deny that part of him itched to take part in another underhand scheme or two, he was after all on his honeymoon and didn't wish for what was left of his time in New Orleans to be taken up with plots and plans when it could be better spent partaking in illicit activities of an altogether more pleasurable nature.

'Ah Rhett,' said Matthew Griffin, an old acquaintance of his from the food-speculation game, reaching out to shake his hand in welcome, 'now here's a man who knows everything that there is to know about lucky escapes, wasn't too long ago you were facing the old noose yourself now was it my friend.'

Rhett grinned, enjoying being back amongst men who would not condemn him for his misdeeds as those in Atlanta always did, but instead actually looked up to him for them, seeing his spell in prison as a mark of his worth.

'Indeed it wasn't, unfortunately my funds were tied up at the time otherwise I'd have employed your age-old tactic Griffin and bribed every official within a fifty-mile radius to keep myself from ending up behind bars.' Rhett drawled lazily, earning himself a nervous smile from Matthew and a round of chuckles from the other three men, all of whom he knew from his blockading days and various clandestine trips to Cuba and Nassau.

'So how exactly did you manage to swing it so you didn't end up swinging then?' joked one of them, a deceptively slight looking man named Richard who Rhett knew from personal experience could throw a surprisingly powerful punch.

'You know a gentleman never reveals his secrets.' Rhett smirked.

'So you'll have no problem in telling us then!' quipped Matthew.

'Not one.' Rhett replied good-naturedly, 'It was mainly down to a winning combination of befriending the guards and having friends in high places who owed me a favour or two. Although spending twenty-three hours a day carving a hole in the floor with a wooden spoon didn't hurt either.'

'Ha! I bet the prospect of being met on the outside by your vision of a bride helped make the digging easier, hey Rhett?' Matthew teased.

The men laughed and Rhett joined in, unable to hide his pleasure at finding himself once again among like-minded, shrewd men who shared both his business acumen and his sharp sense of humour.

'So as an expert in escaping justice, what do you think the chances are that the rumours about old Bill Quantrill are true?' asked Richard.

'What rumours would they be?' asked Rhett, thinking it more prudent to feign ignorance despite the fact he was pretty certain he knew what it was they were referring to.

'That he wasn't actually killed in that Union ambush in Kentucky, but managed to escape while heavily wounded.'

'Why don't you ask Robert here,' Rhett said, patting the man to his left who'd be noticeably quiet so far, 'after all he was far better acquainted with him than the rest of us.'

Swallowing noticeably as the rest of the group turned accusing eyes on him, Robert rushed to explain. 'Just from his early days, back when it was just petty thieving and cattle rustling he was into, I was never part of his raiding parties or anything.'

'Don't trouble yourself Bobby,' said Matthew placatingly, 'even if you had been involved in the raids I wouldn't get Kellerman to throw you out, after all those folks in Laurence had it coming to them, killing all the gang's women in that slaughter-house of a jail like they did.'

Looking decidedly relieved, Robert nodded his head stiffly as the other men rushed to agree with Matthew's views. Rhett however stayed silent, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest as always. Seeing the others turn back to him still clearly waiting for his opinion of Quantrill's fate though, Rhett said with a quiet authority, 'If he did make it out of there alive then I doubt we'll be hearing from him anytime soon. If it was me I'd have got the first passage out of here that I possibly could. Found myself a nice little place somewhere deep in the South American countryside, somewhere that no one's going to bother to come looking for you no matter how much they want revenge.'

Nodding sagely, Richard said, 'Yes, he won't be causing the Yankees any trouble from now on, it'll be up to men like Frank and Jesse James to carry on his legacy now.'

Rhett was about to take up this new turn in the conservation when he felt a hand on his back and, turning, came face to face with his wife. One look at her curious expression made Rhett's jaw tighten, leaving him as it did in no doubt that Scarlett had heard more of his conversation than he'd have liked.

'Yes my dear?' he asked quickly, hoping to distract her from her thoughts and cursing the day he'd told her that eavesdroppers often hear highly instructive things.

Sweeping her eyes across each of the men in turn, Rhett smiled as his friends, mistaking Scarlett's curiosity for attraction, all swelled under her scrutiny before deflating dejectedly when she focussed her attention firmly on Rhett and said, 'Rebecca wants to start the dancing and seeing as we're the guests of honour we need to join in.'

'Of course my pet,' he replied, happy to partake in anything that would get her away from the men and their talk of issues that he would rather her remain ignorant of. Offering her his arm, he led her onto the space cleared in the middle of the room to make an impromptu dance floor.

As much as he enjoyed talking to his old associates and reminiscing about times gone by, Rhett never felt more content or truly himself these days than when Scarlett was by his side. He sometimes marvelled at how the young explorer who had needed no one and nothing but himself had been so easily and completely tamed by a woman who, not only didn't love him, but often scarcely seemed to like him.

Yet that was exactly what had happened, one glance across a crowded lawn and his old pursuit of fame and fortune had been replaced in favour of chasing after something far more elusive; Scarlett O'Hara's heart. For if adventures and law-breaking were what made his pulse race during his younger days, now it was only his infuriating enchantress of a wife who was capable of eliciting such a reaction from him.

Standing across from her now as the other guests slowly began to make their way to the floor, he was conscious only of his overwhelming need for her, the ache to touch her, to claim her as his own in front of all these people who thought that they knew him and yet never really would. There was after all only one person he was willing to lay himself completely bare in front of, one person he wanted to share his past, present and future with, if only she would let him.

As the music started up and Rhett pulled Scarlett against his body in way that was slightly too close to be entirely decent, he could not help but to reminisce about the first time he had ever held her in his arms. The differences between now and the were staggering, the intermediate years having changed him from a daring, freewheeling blockader into a devoted husband and transformed Scarlett from a miserable young woman suffocating under the weight of her widow's weeds into a wife who, if not wholly in love with her new husband, was at least fond of his person and more than content with the size of his bank balance. While he may not have yet won her heart at least he no longer had to pay ridiculous sums of money just to hold her, didn't have to incur the wrath of society by daring to take her in his arms.

He was just beginning to enjoy the dance when Scarlett lifted her head to look at him through narrowed eyes and asked suspiciously, 'What were you talking about?'

Hoping to stall for time he replied rather lamely, 'Talking about? I've been perfectly silent these last five minutes.'

Scowling, but undeterred, she pressed on, 'A moment ago with your friends, just before I came to tell you about the dancing.'

'My dear those men are hardly my friends, why they'd sell me out to the first man they found if they thought they could stand to make a buck or two out of it.'

Refusing to be side-tracked by his attempts to distract her, Scarlett said firmly, 'One of them mentioned Jesse James.'

'Did they my dear? I must have missed that, I myself was too busy trying to fend off Matthew's requests for a dance with you later in the evening.'

He knew it was shameful to use flattery, and false flattery at that, to throw his much too curious wife off the scent, but one look at her surprised yet smug smile told him that his underhand tactics had worked their magic once again.

'Which one is Matthew?' Scarlett asked, throwing a glance back towards the corner where the men were still standing.

'Matthew my dear is the one looking utterly dejected after I explained to him that I don't intend for you to leave my arms for a single moment this evening let alone an entire dance.'

Scarlett rolled her eyes at his remark, yet Rhett couldn't help but notice how her smile doubled in size despite her apparent show of annoyance. Making the most of her current good mood by pulling her closer against him still, Rhett sighed a silent breath of relief at the fact she seemed to have abandoned her former train of thought.

It was not that he was ashamed of his previous dealings and association with unscrupulous men, why if anything he revelled in it, enjoying the way he could make respectable people blush by simply hinting at some of his past deeds. Moreover, it was these very misdemeanours that had gained him his current fortune and position in life, allowing him to stand on his own two feet and prove his father wrong. They had paid for the clothes on his back, the food on his table and even, he thought with a pang of self-loathing, the woman by his side. After all Scarlett believed their marriage to be nothing more than a business transaction and, while the thought pained him deeply, he knew he would gladly suffer that pain and a great deal more besides if it meant he got to keep her.

No, he was not ashamed of his past by any means, but that did not necessarily mean that he wanted Scarlett to know every last sordid detail of it. Why, it was hard enough trying to make his stubborn bride fall in love with him as it was without telling her things that would make any sane person's blood run cold. Not that Scarlett ever did react the way normal people did of course, but still he couldn't afford to take the chance, not when he stood to lose so much if her reaction didn't go his way.

So instead he kept quiet, thankful that his diversion tactics had successfully managed to hold off her curiosity for a little longer yet. And who knew, perhaps the next time she started asking uncomfortable questions the situation between them would have changed, and Scarlett would care about him enough to stay despite the various skeletons-both metaphorical and literal- that littered his former life.

As the song they were dancing to morphed into a slower waltz, he leant his head down to rest his chin amongst her silken curls and asked quietly, 'Are you enjoying the ball my dear.'

'Oh Rhett,' she gushed excitedly, 'it's just heavenly! I feel like I'm back where I used to be before the war came and spoiled everything! None of the balls in Atlanta are half as grand as this one, why your friends are just the finest people that I've ever met!'

Rhett forgot himself for a moment and, throwing back his head, he laughed freely at her ignorance. 'Finest people that you've ever met, indeed! _My dear they're all second-raters, black sheep, rascals. They all made their money speculating in food like your loving husband or in shady ways that won't bear investigation.'_

_'I don't believe it. You're teasing. They're the nicest people_…' she argued, a small frown appearing between her brows as her eyes lost some of their joyful light.

'_The nicest people in town are starving_' Rhett replied jovially, enjoying Scarlett's error too much to notice her growing distress, '_Scarlett, you are a constant joy to me. You unerringly manage to pick the wrong people and the wrong things_.'

_'But they are your friends!_' she cried, slightly hysterically, blushing deeply as the surrounding couples turned to stare at her and Rhett.

'_Oh, but I like rascals. Whereas you have no instinct about people, no discrimination between the cheap and the great. Sometimes, I think that the only great ladies you've ever associated with were your mother and Miss Melly and neither seems to have made any impression on you.'_

_'Melly! Why, she's as plain as an old shoe…'_

'_Spare me your jealousy_,' Rhett snapped, cutting her tirade short as he did not wish to listen to her venomous talk, not when he knew exactly where her envy for the woman stemmed from.

'_Beauty doesn't make a lady, nor clothes a great lady_.' He said spitefully, raising an eyebrow in disdain as he cast an openly disparaging glance over her dress which had been offending him all night for a reason that he hadn't been able to fully comprehend until now.

He had thought the dress irritated him only because it hid both Scarlett's body and personality from him, yet now he realised that his dislike of the garment went far deeper than that. The dress was a symbol, a symbol of his wife's continued attempts to deny her true nature and become something that she was not. It displayed her wish to fit in with genteel society, the sort of people that had cast him out and that Ashley would forever belong to.

He had thought that she was beginning to change her views, that her enjoyment of balls such as this one hosted by people like himself meant that she was finally acknowledging that she belonged in his world rather than the one dominated by men such as the esteemed Mr Wilkes. But as usual he had been mistaken. She had only accepted this invitation, had only befriended these people because she thought that they were upper-class gentry rather than low-born and badly-bred scallywags.

Caught up in a bitter wave of disappointment, he hardly heard her gasp of hurt as she took in his contemptuous appraisal of her dress and most of her ensuing declaration that she would prove him wrong by becoming a great lady went over his head.

Indeed, he hardly had the energy to respond, settling only for making a glib, throw-away comment about how he would await her transformation with interest.

He had meant for that to be the end of the discussion, had wanted to forget about the conversation altogether and distract himself with happier thoughts, but Scarlett seemed to take his words as an insult and pulled herself swiftly out of his arms.

'You don't think I can do it, do you?' she asked, her voice rising along with her infamously volatile temper.

Casting a glance around him, Rhett noticed that practically every guest in the room was looking at them, many of the other couple even having stopped dancing to stare over at them with poorly-concealed curiosity.

He smirked to himself as he realised that the one downside of keeping company with unrespectable people is that they had no manners when it came to simple social etiquette, why if they had been having this disagreement in a ball in Atlanta, the other guests would at least have been well-bred enough to look away while they tried to eavesdrop on his and Scarlett's altercation.

Unfortunately for Rhett though, Scarlett took his smirk to mean that he was laughing at her and, pride severely wounded, she turned and fled the room leaving him stranded upon the dance floor.

Donning his habitual mask of practiced indifference, Rhett smiled apologetically at the crowd around him and explained, 'Apologies, but I'm afraid that whatever was upsetting my wife in church on Sunday seems to have returned with a vengeance. I'm afraid if you'll be kind enough to excuse me I'll be sure to see that she returns safely to our hotel.'

Without further ado he hurried after Scarlett, forcing himself to keep his strides leisurely so as not to give the slightest inclination that he was in fact rushing to get to her.

Stepping out into the hallway he glanced quickly around him before catching sight of Scarlett near the bottom of the grand staircase which descended down into the foyer of the house. Grabbing hold of the bannister he tore down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as she exited the house through the front door.

Annoyed at having been made to look a fool in front of his friends and having walked out of a party kindly given in his and his wife's honour by the Kellerman's, his grip was a little harsher than he intended when he finally caught up with Scarlett on the pavement and grabbed her arm to swing her round to face him.

'Let go of me!' she yelped indignantly, pulling her arm away in a way that only made Rhett hold on tighter.

'Believe me my dear I'll be glad to let you go just as soon as you explain to me why you felt it necessary to leave a ball hosted expressly for you in such an undignified manner.'

'Huh, undignified!' Scarlett snorted, 'I'd have thought people of their sort would be used to bad manners!'

The muscle in Rhett's jaw twitched as he fought to keep himself under control, 'You didn't seem to mind their 'sort' until now my pet, indeed it's been highly amusing watching you this last week, running after them like an abandoned puppy desperate for approval.'

Rhett watched with satisfaction as Scarlett flinched visibly under the onslaught of his cruel words, pleased to find that he could hurt her as much as she was capable of hurting him.

Indeed, the knowledge that he had found her weak spot filled him with an intoxicating sense of power, pushing him to go further still, 'It's been quite pathetic my dear, watching you try so very hard to win the friendship of a bunch of good for nothing rascals, following you round this morning as you tried to find a dress worthy of such esteemed company, listening to you sweet-talk them into liking you.'

'Stop it' she appealed softly, but he would not be stopped, not now when he was finally able to break down the walls she had built around herself. Before he had hoped such tactics would not be necessary, that one day she would simply lower her defences and let him in, but despite all his best efforts since their wedding day it had not happened and he had grown tired of waiting. If she would not willingly allow him inside then he would force his way in and deal with the consequences later.

'Tell me darling, how does it feel to know you had to make such an effort even to win over a group of reprobates such as them? To know that you'll only ever belong in such base company.'

'Stop it! I will be a great lady, I will!' she cried, suddenly tearing her arm free in a surge of strength as she turned and ran down the street.

At the sight of her running away from him the anger and pain that had consumed Rhett until now dissipated, leaving behind only a clammy, sick feeling as he watched her rush to escape him. He had not meant to wound her so deeply, after all he knew more than anyone how much she longed to be thought of as a lady, how desperately she wished to emulate the mother who she had loved and lost at far too young an age.

It was her primary goal in life. A goal which, despite often being side-lined by her near fanatical need for the security that money brought, forever burnt brightly in her heart. It was her most dear and most secret wish, her only real weakness and one which he had just used to tear her apart.

He was a cad. A fact he had always known yet never felt as keenly as he did in this moment. He had been hurt by the realisation that she hadn't accepted his friends as he'd thought she had done, but had merely mistaken them for ladies and gentlemen. He'd felt as if her criticisms of them were criticisms of him too, being cut from the very same cloth as them as he was. He had wanted to hurt her for hurting him and he had succeeded. But for once the victory did not bring him any joy, only a dull sense of foreboding as if he had cut a vital cord between them which could not now be reattached.

Putting his pride to the back of his mind he hurried after her, finding himself grateful that her dress, the cause of so much strife between them, at least made it impossible for her to outrun him. Swiftly catching up with her, he grabbed hold of her arm- far more gently this time- and pulled her to a stop.

His breath caught in his throat as he surveyed her face and realised that she was crying, instantly he pulled her to him, but she resisted, stepping back to look up at him through wet, but angry eyes.

'Stay away from me Rhett,' she sniffled sadly, not seeming to have the energy for her usual fiery outburts.

'I'm sorry honey,' he said, employing the endearment he only used in the most earnest of moments, 'I was angry that you thought my friends beneath you and embarrassed that you left me standing alone on a crowded dance floor and I said things that I didn't mean. I hope you can forgive me.'

A frown darkened Scarlett's face as she looked up at him, seemingly bracing herself for the insult that she no doubt expected to accompany his words. Ashamed that she did not trust him, Rhett let go of her arm and reached up instead to stroke her cheeks, softly wiping away the tracks left upon them by her tears before resting his forehead against hers in a sign of contrition.

'You upset me.' She said simply after a few moments of silence, her eyes looking up at him accusingly like those of a child shocked at having been shouted at by their favourite parent.

'I know.' He admitted regretfully.

'Promise you won't do it again.'

'I promise.'

They stayed like that for a long time, silently staring into each other's eyes while wrapped up in each other on a deserted, moon-lit street, miles away from home and yet somehow feeling closer to it than they ever had before.

Eventually they heard the sound of a carriage passing and reluctantly broke apart, Rhett offering Scarlett his arm as they began to walk back towards their hotel.

'Rhett…' Scarlett said a few minutes later, breaking the comfortable silence.

'Hmm?'

'I still like your friends.'

Rhett chuckled lightly and squeezed her arm, 'Thank-you my dear.'

...

'Scarlett'

'Hmm?'

'I still don't like your dress.'

...

'Me either.'


	5. Chapter 5

Scarlett squared her shoulders as she adjusted her shawl and forced herself to ignore the heat of Rhett's angry, alcohol-laden stare. She still did not know the cause of his sudden and dramatic change in mood and, she reminded herself firmly, nor did she care enough to find out.

It had begun last night, one moment they had been lying comfortably together, Rhett's arms enveloping her thin frame in his reassuring hold while he drew her silken hair across his throat, the next he had furiously stormed out of the room leaving her alone and cold in a bed which suddenly felt much too big.

He had given no explanation for his swift departure other than to shout some absurdity about how he hoped that God would damn her cheating soul, a sentiment particularly mystifying as they'd spent almost every moment of their fortnight-long marriage together making her supposed unfaithfulness physically impossible as well as utterly ludicrous.

Rhett knew that she'd always despised marital relations, had only recently learnt that they could be enjoyed rather than simply endured thanks to his expert tutorage, so why he thought she would want to engage in them with anyone else was something she couldn't understand.

All she knew was that he had been completely unfair, running out on her in the middle of the night without listening to her pleas that he stay and explain.

And now this morning he was back. Sarcastic, sharp, and so very, very out of reach.

Loath as Scarlett was to admit it, the Rhett she had known before they'd said their 'I do's' had always intimidated her a little. Strong, stoic and completely self-reliant, he would not be bullied or charmed like her many other male acquaintances. In all the years that she had known him she had never once managed to utter a lie that he had not seen through, or concoct a plan to manipulate him which he had not uncovered. It infuriated her, but it also scared her to know that he could read her so effortlessly, that no matter how hard she might try she would never be able to best him.

But this last fortnight all that had seemed to change. The foundations of their relationship had gradually begun to shift from competition to companionship, making her feel that for the first time ever her and Rhett were on the same team rather than opposing ones. No longer did she have to try and trick him into doing her bidding, for he now seemed more than willing to do it voluntarily. Bringing her breakfast, buying her clothes, taking her to balls, he anticipated her every wish even before she herself did, organising their entire trip around her wants as if his sole purpose in life was to make her happy.

It had been a shocking transformation, but one which she was undoubtedly glad for. In no area of their acquaintance was the change more noticeable however than in their conversations. Once characterised by mockery and aloofness on his part and irritation and humiliation on hers, recently they had overcome these formerly strict boundaries. Taking on an easiness, a gentle humour and perhaps even a delicious hint of flirtation, their talks now made her want to tell Rhett things she'd never have dreamed of disclosing before for fear of evoking his ever-ready contempt.

In return she felt that she too was finally beginning to understand him, the real him behind the mask of carefully cultivated indifference that he wore in front of the rest of the world. A mask that had previously fooled her into thinking that he did not care about anyone or anything, but which she was only just beginning to realise actually meant the exact opposite.

Often at night she lay in his arms and wondered what part of himself it was that he was too afraid to show, what possible secret he could be carrying that required such elaborate protection. She only hoped that one day he would tell her, thereby breaking down the final wall that stood between them.

These last few days she had felt as if the first few bricks were finally starting to tumble, had been sure that it was only a matter of time before he opened himself to her fully.

But now all that was ruined.

For some unknown reason all the intimacy that they had built up during their time in New Orleans had been shattered last night rendering his walls thicker than ever. Looking at him now, she saw not the thoughtful, sweet man she had married, but the distant, emotionally-detached stranger that he'd always used to be. No matter how hard she tried she could not understand his reasons for leaving her last night, less still his cruel behaviour since he had returned this morning.

She had awoken early, still tired after a turbulent night in which she had spent more time tossing and turning than she had sleeping. Her head ached dully and unthinkingly she had rolled over to Rhett's side of the bed planning to bury her face in the warm, dark crook of his neck and not emerge until at least noon. Yet instead of his hard body she had encountered nothing but soft sheets and, after a moment of confusion, the events of the previous night had come rushing back to her with full force.

While Scarlett was perplexed by her husband's night-time abandonment though, initially she had not been overly concerned by his absence from their bed. After all, this was hardly the first time they had had a disagreement since their wedding, why indeed her and Rhett forever seemed to be rubbing each other up the wrong way. So much so in fact that she was sure he often deliberately riled her up and attained some sort of perverse pleasure in being the one to make her snap.

No there was no need to worry just yet, for no doubt Rhett would return at any moment. Most likely the only reason he wasn't back already was because he'd stopped by the kitchens to pick up her favourite foods by way of apologising for his irrational behaviour.

Calmed by this thought, Scarlett gave his absence no more attention and instead curled back up underneath the covers, determined to make the most of the remaining minutes before his return.

But time passed and still he did not come, the room remaining perfectly silent as Scarlett tried and failed to fall back to sleep. Telling herself that her uneasiness was the result of her headache rather than any misplaced concern over Rhett's whereabouts, she reluctantly got up and went to relieve herself.

Returning to the bedroom a few moments later she frowned upon finding it still empty, thinking to herself that Rhett better be out buying her the most beautiful- and not to mention expensive- jewellery that New Orleans had to offer if he expected her to forgive his abandonment anytime soon. Not wanting him to return to find her waiting around for him, she decided to act as if nothing was amiss and called a maid to ask that her breakfast be sent up as soon as possible.

She had felt oddly strange making the request and only realised afterwards that it because it was the first time that she had done so all honeymoon. Every other morning Rhett had been the one to see to such matters, letting her lie in while he went down to the kitchens and made sure that they only received the very best food that the hotel had to offer. Scarlett hadn't been so shamelessly pampered since her childhood and she loved every second of it. In fact, Rhett's caring attitude pleased her so much that it inadvertently brought out her more affectionate side, making her engage in the sort of silly rituals that normally would have made her scoff with contempt.

Like how she'd let him feed her breakfast as they lay next to each other in bed, watching his pupils grow large and heavy with desire as she ate from his hand. Or how she'd let him clean up the crumbs she routinely dropped on herself, laying silently as he bent his head and used his tongue to scoop them off of her skin and into his warm, waiting mouth.

It was silly and sinful and yet she gloried in his attention, loving the way he could make her body shiver and burn at the same time. Over these last two weeks mornings had slowly become the favourite part of her day, the time when her and Rhett existed in a state of almost perfect harmony far removed from their normally tempestuous selves.

But today there was to be none of that intimacy, none of that gentle, sensuous teasing. Today there was just her. Her sitting alone at a breakfast table which they had never previously gotten round to using while trying not to look across at the empty space where her husband should be.

Her temper rose which each minute that passed in which he did not appear and so finally when, half way through breakfast, she heard his familiar tread along the corridor she was too angry to be glad that he was back.

Determined to ignore him, she kept her eyes down when he opened the door to their suite, focussing instead on finishing her food so that she could make a swift exit. She planned to listen to his apology with a dignified look of disappointed disdain as became a wounded wife, before heading out for the morning in order to give him time to stew. It would not after all do to forgive him too easily, far better to hold out for a day or two and give him the chance to buy his way back into her good books.

A smile graced her lips at the thought of all the dresses and trinkets she stood to gain from their disagreement, before a loud bang brought her sharply out of her musings. Glancing up, her eyebrows rose in shock as she took in the sight before her.

With his hair mussed and his clothes crumpled and dirtied, Rhett looked more like an impoverished vagabond than his usual, dapper self. Scarlett frowned as she watched him attempt to cross the room, his unsteady gait causing him to bang into every single piece of furniture along the way.

She had never seen him so out of control and the sight repulsed her, but that was by no means what infuriated her most about his return. Far worse than his disorderly state was the fact that since entering the room he hadn't spoken one word of regret, hadn't even bothered to acknowledge her presence by so much as looking in her direction. Wounded by his neglect, Scarlett cleared her throat loudly and fixed him with a piercing stare before waiting silently for the apology that she felt sure was to come.

On hearing her cough Rhett's head, which had up until now been lolling on his shoulders, shot up and a shocked expression flashed across his features upon seeing her.

'Still here, my dear?' he asked, his usual drawl coming out more like a drunken slur, 'I thought you'd have caught the first train back to your beloved by now, but perhaps you are merely waiting until you've finished breakfast. You never were one to turn your nose up at food that someone else is paying for.'

Scarlett flinched at his words, but found herself too shocked by his behaviour to bite back at him with an insult of her own. She had expected him to be shame-faced and sorry, to beg for her forgiveness not to act as if it was somehow he who was the wounded party. She had never truly understood him, but in this moment she felt as if they had never been further apart, both hurting in ways that the other could not even begin to comprehend.

Silently she watched as he continued to barrel his way through their suite, knocking into the dresser before collapsing tiredly into the chair opposite hers and fumbling unsteadily in his pockets for his cigar case. Upon finding it, he struggled for a good few minutes to get the lid open all the while looking worn and slightly pathetic in a way that made Scarlett's chest ache.

After countless attempts to light his cigar without success, he grunted in frustration and violently banged it down on the table before raising his eyes to fix her with a sardonic glare. 'You'd better eat up my dear if you want to make it in time for the next train. It's due to leave the station at midday and I know how long it takes for you to look presentable.'

For a moment she was too stunned to speak, she had thought that this morning would see them making up, but instead Rhett seemed to be implying that it was all over between them. Well she'd be damned before she let him get rid of her that easily! Her anger swiftly overcoming her astonishment, she cried out, 'I'm not going anywhere Rhett, we agreed the terms of our marriage the day that you proposed and I won't let you go back on them now just because you've gotten your end of the deal.'

She hated bringing up the contract they had made, disliked remembering that their marriage was simply a business arrangement to him, but she had to make him see that getting rid of her was not an option. The very idea of taking a train back to Atlanta without him and having the very same old cats who had warned her against marrying him crow over the fact that their union had failed to last even a fortnight was too humiliating to stomach. No, she was staying right here whether he liked it or not.

'Ah yes, I should have realised that you would stay for the money if not for the man.' he said, smirking cruelly at her, 'You know my dear I do believe that you will turn out to be the worst investment that I've ever made, you certainly haven't brought me much profit so far.'

Her body almost shaking with fury, Scarlett rose from the table and bore down over him, 'You low-down cad! Why you haven't even a shred of decency in you, do you? If you did you would be apologising not…'

Rhett's laughter cut through the rest of her speech, 'You'd know all about decency wouldn't you, my pet?'

Scarlett bristled under his accusatory tone, refusing to let him somehow make this her fault, 'And just what is that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing my darling wife, just that most people would argue that it's not decent for a newly-wed woman to spend her nights thinking about the things that you do.'

A shiver of fear ran through Scarlett's body at his words, but she pressed on as best she could, covering her uncertainty with aggression as always, 'What on earth are you jabbering on about Rhett? You have no idea what I think about at night.'

'I'm sure you wish that were the case my dear, it would make things far easier for you if I didn't, wouldn't it? But seeing as it's not, perhaps you'll allow me to give you some friendly advice.' he said, though Scarlett couldn't help but think that she had scarcely ever seen him look less friendly towards her, 'Next time you're lying there wishing that I was someone else you should at least try not to be so damn obvious about it. Really Scarlett, how discreet do you think you're being when you sigh longingly into your pillow like a heroine out of a bad romance novel?'

Scarlett froze, surely she must have heard him wrong? Surely he couldn't really know what she'd been thinking about last night just before he got up and stormed out? After all, she assured herself shakily, he wasn't wholly right in his assessment as while she had indeed been thinking of another man while she lay in his arms, she hadn't been wishing that Rhett was more like him so much as that he was more like Rhett.

Since their wedding, Scarlett's life-long love for Ashley had become far less set in stone. While she still held him in the highest regard, placing him up on a pedestal that no other man could even hope to ascend, there were some traits that her new husband possessed that she couldn't help but regret that her paramour lacked.

Like last night for instance, as she lay in Rhett's strong arms, feeling his large chest rise and fall beneath her cheek while he stroked the length of her bare arm with his fingertips, she could not help but think of how perfect it would be if only Ashley would hold her like this.

Of course, the idea was ludicrous; Ashley was far too prim and proper to engage in such a compromisingly intimate act. Why, she doubted he ever touched Melanie when they lay next to each other in bed. No doubt they slept like a pair of statues instead, careful to maintain at least five feet of space between them at all times during the night. They probably never even looked at each other for fear of causing embarrassment.

Turning her head away from Rhett towards the window she had sighed wistfully, wishing that Ashley would hold her like Rhett did, and realising for the first time that he never would. Even if they did get married one day he would not treat her as Rhett now did. While in her mind it was still Ashely that she dreamt of, in reality it was only Rhett that could give her what she needed.

She had felt a chill pass over her at this thought, as if something was leaving her which could never again be recovered. Yet she did not feel regret at its passing, only a sense of new-found freedom as if she had been let out of jail after years of imprisonment.

Or at least, that was how she'd felt until Rhett had sprang up from her side and fled the room. Staring down at him now across the breakfast table, she realised that beneath his anger there was a sense of pervading sadness, an air of defeat which seemed to weigh heavy upon his broad shoulders.

For a moment she thought about explaining to him what she'd been thinking about last night, but then swiftly dismissed the idea. He did not deserve to hear it. After everything that he'd done and said in the last twelve hours why should she reassure him as if he was the one that needed comforting?

So instead she walked away without another word, deciding to stay true to her original plan of going shopping while leaving him to mull over his actions. Returning to the room some time later once she was fully dressed, she picked her shawl up from where in hung on the back of her chair and secured it round her shoulders, all the while refusing to grant her husband so much as a glance.

Silently she made her way across the room towards the door, only to be stopped halfway there by the accusatory sound of his voice.

'And just where do you think you are off to?' he barked, clumsily rising from his chair and stumbling over to her.

Wanting to pay him back for his earlier unkindness she smiled spitefully and replied, 'Why to the station of course. I'm so glad you came back to inform me of the train times or I'd surely have missed it.'

The corner of Rhett's mouth twitched slightly, before he collected himself and said casually, 'Unfortunately for you my dear trains tend not to allow passengers to travel on them unless they possess either a ticket or the means with which to purchase one.'

'That's quite alright; I'll just have to stop by the pawn brokers on the way. I can think of one or two items of jewellery that I'm no longer in need of.' She spat venomously, before dropping her eyes down conspicuously to her left hand upon which lay her engagement and wedding rings.

For first time that morning Rhett showed open emotion, his whole body flinching under the onslaught of her cruel words as if they had struck him physically. The motion almost caused him to overbalance, but he marginally saved himself from tumbling to the floor, recomposing himself as he did so. When he looked at her again, his face had taken on a harshness that she hadn't witnessed in a long time, his eyes staring out at her with an expression of pure malice engraved in their onyx depths.

'I doubt you'll get much for your jewellery.' he said coldly, 'After all there aren't many women who share your appallingly cheap taste, and the ones that do are too busy pushing yesterday's clients out of their beds at this time in the morning to go shopping.'

Scarlett gasped at his words, her face erupting in flames as tears sprung unbidden into her eyes. Why had she ever thought that he was capable of change? How stupid she had been to believe that their marriage had altered him for the better, had softened his feelings towards her. Clearly he didn't care for her in the slightest, no man who did would ever even think to compare her to a whore let alone say it to her face.

Her eyes watering, she fought to hold back a desperate sob, refusing to allow him the pleasure of seeing how his taunt had wounded her. Deciding instead to take a leaf out of his book she ran to escape the room, barely noticing how his face paled as he took her in or how he yelled at her to come back. His pleas grew more desperate the further away she moved, but Scarlett would not be deterred. She had given him plenty of time to apologise all morning and instead he had only sought to insult her further. And now too much damage had been done for a simply sorry to be able to fix.

Reaching the door she flung it open and rushed out, making sure to slam it behind her with as much force as she could muster. Halfway down the corridor she heard him curse loudly before a mighty bang rang out and she wondered if he had fallen over in an attempt to run after her. She felt no remorse at this thought though, indeed she only hoped that he had hit his head and was currently experiencing the same level of pain that he had just inflicted on her.

Hurrying down the staircase in case he managed to get up and tried to follow her again, she clutched her shawl to stop it from sliding off her shoulders and wondered if perhaps she wouldn't be better selling off her rings and boarding the soonest train after all.

If this was how the rest of their marriage was going to play out then she'd be wise to cut her losses now and make an escape while she still had her youth and beauty. Now that she thought of it she wouldn't even have to travel back to Atlanta if she didn't want to, she could always lie low at Tara for a bit and regain her strength, or maybe even head somewhere new entirely and carve out a better life for herself.

Just because Rhett didn't know how to treat her right didn't mean that she couldn't find some other rich man who would. There were plenty of them in New Orleans after all, in fact during their visit scores of wealthy men had expressed an interest in her. Perhaps she'd even manage to snare one of Rhett's friends from the ball the other night, she'd seen how they'd all looked at her and wouldn't Rhett's face be a picture when he learnt of the news!

Her mind dancing with thoughts of besting her husband once and for all, Scarlett lost sight of her surroundings and almost tripped down the last flight of stairs, saving herself by only just managing to catch hold of the bannister in time. Taking a deep breath to calm her beating heart she looked around her at the lobby, noting how busy it was at this late hour of the morning.

Making her way down the final few steps, she groaned to herself when she spotted Henry Walters leaning against the reception desk, thinking that he was the last person that she needed to run into right now.

Only two days ago her and Rhett had gotten into a big fight over Henry, Rhett angrily accusing her of flirting with him when they'd bumped into each other at the same restaurant, while she –rightly- maintained that she'd only been being polite.

'That's what you call politeness is it, my dear?' he'd sneered as they made their way back up to their room after finishing dinner and leaving the restaurant, 'Preening and flaunting yourself over the crawfish course!'

Scarlett rolled her eyes at his remark and tried to reign in her temper until they were safely behind locked doors. 'I was hardly flaunting myself Rhett! I couldn't very well ignore him when he came over to our table specially to say hello. It's not like I invited him along to the damn meal!'

Rhett scoffed, 'Oh and I suppose he was there completely by chance, was he? His miraculous appearance couldn't possibly have had anything to do with the fact that you told him it was your favourite restaurant?'

'I doubt he remembered me telling him that, besides there are hundreds of places in New Orleans. It would have been very hard for him to find it even if he did know the name.'

'Unless of course he followed us out of the hotel this evening.'

'God's nightgown, Rhett!' Scarlett cried as they walked down the corridor towards their room, 'He's a lawyer not a spy! I know you've annoyed a fair few people around these parts, but I highly doubt they're bothering to track your every movement.'

'Of course not my dear,' he replied, making Scarlett think she'd finally won an argument against him for the first time in their entire acquaintance, before he spoilt her moment of victory by continuing, '…it was you he was following not me.'

Scarlett was prevented from retorting as they'd reached their door and she needed to extract their key from her purse. Entering the room she put down her bag on the dresser before removing her shawl and placing it on top.

Ignoring Rhett as he marched off into the lounge area, she sat down on the bed and shrugged off her tight shoes, wriggling her toes in an attempt to regain circulation. He was so impossible some times, but she wouldn't let him spoil her fun. Heading over to the closet she rifled eagerly though her dresses, her bad mood dissipating at the thought of the night's dancing that lay ahead of them. Hopefully she'd find some nice man to waltz with her and could leave Rhett and his temper over at the bar for the majority of their stay.

Her eyes lighting upon a bright red gown which was so low-cut it would have made even Belle Watling herself blush, Scarlett smiled and thought that at least she'd have no trouble attracting dance partners tonight.

Pulling it off the rack, she folded it carefully over her arm and made her way back out of the closet, stopping in her tracks when she caught sight of Rhett.

Rather than standing by the door, ready to help her unhook her current dress so that she could change ready for them to go back out, he was lounging lazily on the bed clad only in his trousers and a shirt that was open to the waist.

'Whatever are you wasting time for Rhett?' she snapped irritably, 'Get dressed and come help me unfasten my gown so we can leave.'

Instead of jumping to attention though, Rhett merely reached over to the bedside table and lit himself a cigar before settling back down, placing an arm under his head so that he could see her properly.

'I doubt you'd be allowed into a ball with an unfastened gown Scarlett, although doubtless Mr. Walters would enjoy the sight.'

'You know what I mean!' she yelled, losing her temper and flinging the red gown at his head.

Laughing he batted it away with his elbow, his dark eyes flashing with a potent mixture of amusement and arousal as they always did when she grew mad.

'Indeed I do my pet, but I'm afraid that I must graciously decline your oh-so-charming request, you see your performance at dinner has left me feeling rather nauseous and quite unable to go out dancing this evening.'

'Who said I intended on dancing with you?' she bit back.

'Touché my dear, although alas you still need me to escort you there and back and I'm simply not feeling up to the task tonight.'

'Fine. I'll just find someone else to take me then.' She threatened, hoping to force Rhett into coming with her.

Instead of looking worried though he only smirked and said, 'Oh and exactly where do you intend to find this selfless someone who has no objection to escorting other men's wives to and from balls?'

'Well if what you say about Henry following me is true then it shouldn't be so hard to track him down.' She said, enjoying the way Rhett's smug expression darkened into a frown at her use of Walters' first name.

'In fact,' she taunted while moving towards the door, 'he's probably outside right now just waiting for his chance to swoop in and save the day.'

She didn't hear Rhett get up off the bed, didn't hear him stalk across the floor towards her, but the next thing she knew she was being pushed up against the door, his warm body tightly enclosing her own so that she was unable to move so much as an inch.

Startled she cried out his name, an action which only made him chuckle, his hot breath coasting over her ear and making her squirm against his hold.

'And if he was outside the door, what would you do?' he asked in a voice as thick and dangerously sweet as syrup, 'Would you ask him to take you dancing? Complain to him about your brute of a husband? Press your body up against his on the dance floor?'

At these words Rhett moved behind her, pushing himself closer against her so that her whole body was pressed up against the door, her forehead resting gently on the cool wood. His hands left her waist and rose up to caress her arms, sliding down her skin until he could entwine his fingers with hers and bring them up to rest either side of her head.

'Hmm?' he breathed questioningly against the fine hairs at the back of her neck.

Scarlett felt her head begin to swim under the onslaught of sensations he was subjecting her to. Trapped against him like this she couldn't even begin to concentrate on his words, being far too caught up in the scents and sounds that belonged uniquely to Rhett and which she had come to find oddly comforting these last two weeks.

Swallowing nervously to try and regain her composure, she tried to remind herself that she was mad at him, but somehow she could not find the will to summon up her anger, much less the inclination.

Seemingly growing frustrated by her prolonged refusal to answer him, Rhett let go of her hands and stepped away, almost causing Scarlett to sigh at the loss of his warmth. Instead of moving away through he simply spun her round to face him before pushing her softly back against the door, his actions causing a blush to rise in her cheeks as she realised how close his face was now to hers.

Recapturing her hands in his, Rhett bent his head so that their eyes were level with one another's and whispered huskily, 'Would you rather I let you go so that you can go find him?'

Unable to speak Scarlett could only shake her head, wondering as she did so why the thought of him letting her go suddenly seemed so unbearable when only moments before she couldn't get away from him quick enough.

That was the most enthralling and infuriating thing about Rhett, the way he changed so completely from minute to minute. He could be the gentlest, most tender of lovers one moment and the most insufferable of cads the next. She wondered if maybe one day she would finally catch up with his mood swings, or if they would settle down as he got older.

Yet, while life would surely be much simpler if they did, she could not help but enjoy the intensity of feeling that such behaviour gave rise to, the way his affection always felt that much more sweet and his anger that much more delicious for being contrasted sharply against one another.

'No?' he questioned, a mischievous smile forming as he gazed upon her, 'Then I suppose I'll just have to come up with another way of keeping you entertained this evening.'

Scarlett sighed heavily as she was pulled out of her reverie by someone passing her on the stairs, wishing that all of her and Rhett's arguments could end so happily. Normally they did, Rhett being able to diffuse her temper by getting her to redirect her passion in a way which proved most pleasurable for the both of them.

But not so this morning.

Today he had not touched her once, had scarcely been able to bring himself to look her in the eye. And while part of her hated him for the things that he'd said, another, smaller part wondered just how badly he must have been hurting to lash out like that. Her and Rhett were such similar creatures after all, both likely to strike out in defence when they felt themselves backed into a corner, both likely to wound the other in an attempt to disguise their own pain.

In her anger this morning she had forgotten that fact and it had led to her seriously considering whether or not she should leave him. But now that she had cooled down a little she knew that she wasn't really going to go anywhere.

For all the bad times, and Lord knows there were too many to count, there were also a thousand good times, moments more delightful than any she'd ever known before. Moments which made their arguments suddenly seem like a very small price to pay.

No one knew her like Rhett did, and if that meant he knew exactly how to hurt her then it also meant he knew how to make her happy in way no one else had ever come close to doing.

Married life would not be easy she knew, it would be a long, hard slog in which they'd threatened to kill each other often and think about doing so more often still. Why they hadn't even been wed a fortnight and they'd already had more rows than her and Frank had ever had! But at least it would be real. Too real perhaps, but then too much was better than not enough.

For too long Scarlett had had to scrape by on far too little, whether it be Ashley's love, food and support during the war or money and security after it, she had always been forced to survive off of other people's scraps. But not anymore. Here at last was someone who was offering her something immense and all-consuming, something which would sustain and entertain her her whole life if only she would let it.

Scarlett sighed as the clock in the lobby struck twelve and she realised she was too late and the train had now left the station. Surprised that she felt no regret at its passing, but only pervading sense of relief, Scarlett considered returning to her room and reassuring Rhett that she hadn't abandoned him after all.

Quickly though she dismissed the idea, just because she wasn't leaving didn't mean she had to make things easy for him. After how he'd treated her he deserved to spend a few anxious hours locked up in their room while she put his money to good use. He'd still be there when she got back and who knew, perhaps she'd even tell him what it was she'd really been thinking about last night, but then again maybe not. For once she held the upper hand in their relationship and she did not intend to relinquish it anytime soon.

Smiling to herself, Scarlett made her way across the lobby and out into the noontime sunshine, thinking that perhaps she didn't need to board a train to escape her old life and start a better one. That perhaps she'd already done so the day that her and Rhett had travelled from Atlanta to New Orleans.

* * *

_Hey, hope you enjoyed the chapter even if it did deviate a bit from the book, the more I write their honeymoon the more I wish I could change things for them so it might have become a bit too AU for some of your tastes. Where the story goes now though is totally up to you, the last chapter didn't get as much response as usual so if you've grown tired of this story then let me know and I'll end it here. If not then the final chapter will take place the night of Scarlett's nightmare and either end on a hopeful note implying that things might work out better for them or a full-blown HEA depending on your preferences. Even if you have no opinion on how and when this should end though please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, I love getting your reviews and will take pretty much anything from 'I loved it' to 'well, I suppose it didn't completely suck' so there's really no pressure! Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read._


	6. Chapter 6

_A massive thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, I was having a bit of a confidence crisis and all your lovely words gave me just the boost I needed. Sorry I didn't have a chance to reply, I'm off on holiday tomorrow and really wanted to get this chapter finished before I went as a way of thanking you all. Although I planned to finish this story in six chapters, I'm having a hard time letting this one go so I might well end up adding a final chapter detailing their return journey to Atlanta from Scarlett's POV once I get back. Until then though, please read and enjoy and make sure to let me know all your thoughts, you know by now how much I love hearing them!_

_All words in bold font are direct quotes from Gone with the Wind, I'm hoping that's okay seeing as I wasn't carted off by the copyright police after trying the same trick in Chapter 4!_

* * *

Rhett stared determinedly at the decanter in front of him before reaching out and pouring himself another drink. _This would be the one._

The one that would make him forget.

Sharply he picked up the glass and, tilting back his head, drained it of its contents in one swift and well-practiced motion. He held himself rigid for a few moments after, praying silently that the alcohol had finally done its job. But then he heard it. The sound that had been haunting him for the last twenty-four hours. That damn, soul-destroying sigh.

Every time he closed his eyes for so much as a second he could not fail but to hear it. No matter how much alcohol he consumed- and Lord knew he'd done his best to drain this fair city dry since last night- he just could not escape it. It seemed that no amount of amber liquid was capable of drowning it out.

He couldn't seem to stop seeing her either.

Even though Scarlett had turned her cheating face away from him last night, had moved out of his embrace to face the window and dream of her beloved, he could still perfectly picture her expression. It would be the same one she had worn the day that he had proposed to her when her mind had wandered off to fantasise about her wooden-headed, would-be beau. God she had been beautiful in that moment. Her face softer than he had ever seen, her glorious eyes wide and misty and wearing a look that he desperately wished was inspired by him.

But of course it was not. There had only ever been one man who had brought out Scarlett's tender side and it certainly was not him. He had tried so very hard all honeymoon to wear down her resistance, to offer her a love that Mr. Wilkes was utterly incapable of, to make her see that only he could truly make her happy.

But it was not to be. Everything that they had shared in these two weeks, every single, blissful moment that had meant so very much to him was now tainted by the suspicion that she had been secretly wishing that he was Ashely all along.

The thought sickened him to his core, made him want to cry out in frustration and despair, drink himself into oblivion and then board the next train to Atlanta and shoot that godforsaken man where he stood.

It made him want to wake his wife from where she was sleeping peacefully in the room next door and hurl mindless, cruel insults at her until she was filled with the same aching blackness that he was.

Sliding a hand wearily down his face, he remembered the things that he had said to her this morning and, despite his anger, he could not help but feel a pang of regret when he recalled the pain his words had brought her. He had been extremely harsh, even by his usual standards, effectively declaring their marriage to be over and enquiring as to when she was leaving.

He had all but handed her the stick with which to beat him and yet had been taken aback- quite literally in fact- when she had seemed to go along with his performance and had talked of selling her wedding rings to pay for her train fare. He still flinched slightly when he recalled the look of cold hatred emblazoned on her face as she bit into him with words designed to pierce his heart. And, boy how they had, hitting their target with such force and precision that he had almost been forced to hold up his hands and surrender.

Yet instead he had somehow managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, pooling together the last of his strength to deliver one last fatal blow. Although, he sighed bitterly to himself, if there was ever a victory that he was less proud of then he sure as hell could not recall it. To win by calling one's own wife a whore was surely as low as it got. Lower indeed than he had ever dared to stoop before and the mere memory of it left a sour taste in his mouth.

He had wanted to take it back the moment it had left his lips, the very second that he had seen the flash of pain and mortification pass across her face, but it was already far too late. Following in his footsteps from the night before, she had fled the room while he called out pitifully for her to come back.

For a few minutes he had thought to chase after her, had stumbled blindly towards the door whilst his body hung heavily under the weight of his regret. His plan had been thwarted however when he had misjudged the distance between himself and the chest of drawers, causing him to smack his side into the solid wood frame and collapse in a drunken and exhausted heap upon the floor.

He had lain there for well over an hour, staring up at the ceiling and wondering if Scarlett would ever return or whether she had indeed taken his suggestion and boarded the noon-time train to Atlanta. Finally, hurt and disgusted with both himself and her, he had managed to drag himself slowly off the carpet and shuffle out of the room, determined not to spend his day waiting for her to come back. Instead he had made his way to the nearest saloon and whiled away the daylight hours by pouring yet more alcohol into his already spirit-soaked body.

He would doubtless have remained there forever had not the concerned patron informed him that it was fast-approaching supper time and he would do well to eat something to offset all the drink he had consumed that day. Thanking the man kindly, if not completely coherently, Rhett had slid off of his stool and walked back to his hotel room, swaying precariously as he went as if battling against a fierce wind.

Reaching his suite, he had almost been too nervous to open the door, lest he do so only to find that Scarlett had indeed packed up her bags and taken leave of him. He did not know what he would do without her, could not bear the thought of having to go even one more night without her by his side.

He needn't have worried though, he had scarcely opened the door a fraction of an inch before she had come charging out of the room towards him, her face a perfect scowl as she chastised him for making them late for dinner and complained that he smelt like he'd been dragged backwards through a brewery.

Those, as it turned out, were to be the only words she spoke to him all evening. She had somehow managed to remain silent during their ride to the restaurant and throughout the entirety of their meal while he sat and stewed next to her, his mind once again reliving the events of the previous night. His anger had threatened to boil over as he watched her greedily tuck into the crawfish course, thinking that the only reason she had agreed to marry him in the first place was so that she might enjoy such luxuries as this.

The return journey to the hotel had been equally tense, the two of them sat next to each other in the carriage while making sure to look in completely opposite directions at all times. Upon re-entering their room Scarlett had immediately shut herself up in the closet to change before hurrying across to the bed and enclosing herself under the duvet, screwing her eyes shut and feigning sleep from the moment her head first touched the pillow.

Rhett however, despite being physically and emotionally exhausted from the events of the last twenty-four hours, had not deigned to follow her lead. Indeed, he could hardly bear the thought of sharing a bed with her ever again, not when he now knew it would always contain three people instead of just two.

Plagued by such insecurities, he had dragged his tired frame into the living area and collected the decanter and an empty glass from the mantle-piece before slumping down beside the breakfast table to continue his rapid descent into alcoholism in peace.

Three hours later and he was still sitting there, the decanter almost empty, his head pounding savagely, and yet still no closer to oblivion than he had been when he'd started. He needed sleep desperately; his eyes were practically half-shut now as it was. Yet, despite his exhaustion the thought of going to bed still troubled him.

Of course he could always sleep on the couch in the living room, but it was too small for him to be able to lie out on fully. And besides, he reasoned to himself, why should he be the one to suffer uncomfortably when it was Scarlett's actions that had created this rift between them?

Suddenly filled with a righteous anger, Rhett stood up from his chair, gripping the edge of the table tightly to prevent himself from falling, and made his way into the bedroom determined that his wife's deceit should not prevent him from getting some much-needed rest.

Entering the room, he sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and socks before taking off his jacket and waistcoat. Pulling his cravat away from his neck, he raised unsteady hands to his shirt and struggled laboriously for the next few minutes to undo all of the buttons. Finally, the fabric falling loosely against his sides, he decided that trying to undress any further would be a waste of both time and energy and simply collapsed backwards onto the mattress, inching his way up the duvet until his head reached the pillow.

Staring up at the canopy above him, Rhett held his body stiff, refusing to give into the urge to roll over and take his wife in his arms. It was just a force of habit, he tried to reason with himself, they had slept that way every other night and he had grown used to it that was all. It was not as if he actually missed the warmth of her body or the feel of her head against his heart.

Annoyed at his own traitorous thoughts, Rhett turned away towards the edge of the bed and snapped his eyes shut, resolving not to open them again until morning.

He was almost drifting off to sleep a few minutes later when a sound cut through the still night air and made his blood run cold.

_A sigh_.

At first he thought it was just his imagination playing tricks on him again, but as he strained his ears to listen he heard another, slightly louder one escape from between his wife's lips.

So she was dreaming of him again then. All the pain that he had experienced since last night had clearly meant nothing to her if she was content to lie beside him and fantasise about another man so soon after their row. Furiously he clenched up his fists, fighting hard against the urge to turn round and throttle his unfaithful spouse where she slept.

He wondered if such an action would finally push the esteemed gentleman out of her head. If, at the moment before her vision failed and her breath gave out, she would look up into Rhett's face and realise what a fool she had been all these years. He doubted it, after all Scarlett O'Hara was nothing if not stubborn. It had always been one of his favourite things about her, but now he found that the joke that had so amused him in the past was beginning to wear painfully thin.

Indeed the only thing that entertained him about the whole, sorry situation anymore was the fact that the man at the centre of it was just so damn unworthy of all the strife that he was unwittingly causing. A pompous, depressingly-earnest prig of a fellow, Ashley Wilkes would never be able to provide Scarlett with one true moment of joy. Why, she'd burn through him faster than pitch through dried kindling, provided of course that he didn't bore her to death first.

In all his travels Rhett had never come across two people less suited for each other, they were as different as he and Scarlett were alike and yet Ashley was the only one that she wanted. Or rather, it was the idea of him that she wanted. For Ashley was exactly the sort of upper-class gentlemen that all good Southern girls were taught to strive for and the sort of man that Rhett's own father had wanted him to become. But while he had resisted such teachings, she had succumbed. It was one of the few differences between them, but it was a crucial one. It was ironic really, given that she had ignored virtually every other rule imposed upon her by society, that the only one she chose to follow was the one capable of tearing them apart.

Caught up in dark thoughts as he was, Rhett almost didn't notice when Scarlett emitted another sound, this one closer to a cry than a sigh. Frowning, Rhett wondered if her dream had turned sour, if perhaps Melanie had returned to break up Scarlett and Ashley's tryst and remind his wife who her beloved really belonged to.

A moment later though Rhett's wry thoughts turned serious as Scarlett let out a sharp scream and kicked her legs violently under the covers. Rolling over he studied her face through the gloom and saw with a start that it was screwed up as if in pain while tears rolled silently down her magnolia cheeks.

_This must be the old nightmare she told me about_, he mused. For a moment he seriously considered turning back over and leaving her to her misery, letting her suffer like he had been made to do so often at her hands. For years now she had remained ignorant of his pain, had stood by silently and done nothing to alleviate his hurt so why should he now act to ease hers?

But when her eyelids fluttered open to relieve terrified, wide eyes he knew he could not simply lie back and shut out her sorrow. Instead he picked her up wordlessly and held her close, rubbing her back in soothing circles as he gently shushed her.

She cried for some minutes, sobbing pitifully against his chest with an air of fear and defeat that was most unlike his normally wilful wife. Feeling his anger and bitterness melt away with each passing second, Rhett held her tighter and planted a kiss on her forehead.

'**Oh, Rhett, I was so cold and so hungry and so tired and I couldn't find it. I ran through the mist and I ran but I couldn't find it.'**

'**Find what, honey?**' he asked softly, his protective side emerging as she clung to him and rambled mindlessly on about her dream.

'**I don't know. I wish I did know.**'

Rhett almost laughed at that, for he too wished that Scarlett would finally realise what it was that she truly wanted. Of course he wished that it was himself that she so desperately sought in these night-time terrors, but even if it wasn't at least her self-discovery would bring about an end to the unbearable uncertainty that existed between them. An uncertainty which made him hope that maybe Scarlett did in fact love him, but was simply too blind to her own needs to realise it.

Reluctantly he loosened his embrace and lowered her back down onto the bed, knowing that if he held onto her for any longer then he would never find the strength to let go. In a bid to distract himself he lit a candle, enjoying the way that the orange flame bathed the dark room in light. Silently he resolved to remain awake for the rest of the night to ensure that it did not go out, for if Scarlett's nightmare returned then he did not want her to have to wake up in a pitch black room.

Looking at her now he was struck by how young and vulnerable she looked. Sitting up in the centre of the bed with her hair tumbling down either side of her frightened face she reminded him of a young doe caught up unexpectedly in a snare, her entire body trembling with ill-concealed fear.

He ached to touch her, to bring her to his chest and comfort her in the only way he knew how, but he knew that he could not. Not when she would only close up her eyes and start imagining it was another pair of arms that were wrapped around her.

Unable to watch her any longer, he turned his face back up towards the ceiling and was shocked when he heard her speak out a moment later.

'**Hold me Rhett.' **She whispered, her words so perfect that at first he thought he must have dreamed them.

A shudder of affection rushed through him as the love that he had suppressed for far too long threatened to burst out of his chest. Sweeter than her desire for his touch though was the fact that she had said his name. Not Ashley's. His. For the first time since last night he was assured that it was him that she wanted, him that she sought comfort from when times got tough.

'**Darling!'** he cried, lifting her from the bed and into a nearby chair so that he might better cradle her against his body. For the next few minutes he barely listened to her talk about her nightmare, too caught up was he in the sensation of holding her against him, of knowing that he was needed.

After the events of the previous night it was exactly the sort of reassurance that he sought and it acted like a soothing balm over his aching heart. Filled with joy he tried to ease Scarlett's own fears, being unusually open when he spoke of his intention to always keep her safe.

'**Rhett, you are so nice' **she replied, a dull ache reverberating through him at her tepid words. It was hardly the declaration of undying love that he so longed to prize from her lips, but at least it was a start. After all, only a few hours ago she had been threatening to leave him so he should count his blessings that her opinion of him had improved even that much in such a short time.

'**Thanks for the crumbs from your table, Mrs. Dives.' **he replied smoothly, his tongue firmly lodged in his cheek. Knowing that her earlier terror would soon disappear if he brought money into the conversation, Rhett continued on, **'Scarlett I want you to say to yourself every morning when you wake up: "I can't ever be hungry again and nothing can ever touch me as long as Rhett is here and the United States government hold out".'**

Sure enough his words soon dried the remaining tears from her cheeks, causing Scarlett to sit bolt upright in his arms and her eyes to widen as curiosity swiftly replaced her fear. He failed to hold back a smile as his headstrong wife soon started demanding that he remove his money from the Yankee's pockets and use it to buy half of Atlanta instead.

But, while their ensuing talk of the house that they were to build once they returned home entertained him no end by yet again revealing Scarlett's appalling lack of anything that remotely resembled taste, he could not help but feel that the turn in conversation had caused a vital opportunity to be lost between the two of them.

When she had first asked him to hold her Rhett had felt as if they had finally turned a corner in their relationship. That she was beginning to admit to both herself and to him that she needed him in her life. He had thought that, given a few gentle nudges in the right direction, she might open up further and reveal more of her feelings.

But as always, the chance had slowly slipped away. She had taken what she needed, had used him to ease her fears and now she was as confident and out of reach as ever, prattling on about hosting grand soirees in their as-of-yet unbuilt house completely obtuse to the fact that not one respectable citizen would be seen dead in their company.

Trying to recapture her earlier show of affection he appealed to her mercenary mind, laying his check-book at her mercy in the vain hope that it would somehow buy him her heart. **'You can have all the cash you want for the house and all you want for your fal-lals.' **He heard himself saying, hating the idea that their relationship was built solely upon her greed and his desperation and yet unable to think of a way to create firmer foundations. **'And anything you want for Wade or Ella. And if Will Benteen can't make a go of the cotton, I'm willing to chip in and help out that white elephant in Clayton County that you love so much. That's fair enough isn't it?'**

'**Of course, you're very generous.' **She rushed to comply, her slim words of praise making Rhett happier than they had any right to. Sometimes he felt himself to be little more than a beggar who, for lack of anything better, is content to wolf down scraps and convince himself that he has just received the most splendid of feasts.

Something about her tone though alerted Rhett's suspicions, it was slightly too sweet for Scarlett and he thought he had a fairly good idea of what –or rather who- she was planning on spending all of his hard earned gains on.

'**But listen closely.' **He said, his tone hardening, **'Not one cent for the store and not one cent for that kindling factory of yours.'**

Sure enough her face fell as he spoke, causing Rhett's mood to take a similar nose-dive as her poor reaction confirmed that her thoughts had once again turned back to Ashley. It seemed that no matter how far they appeared to have come over these last two weeks they were still unable to shake off the spectre of that man.

'**Why?' **Scarlett asked, as ignorant and uncomprehending as ever.

Suddenly sick of the endless game of cat and mouse that they were forever playing with each other, Rhett decided to abandon his habitual vagueness and spell out his motivations loud and clear for once. **'Because I don't care to contribute to the support of Ashley Wilkes.'**

As soon as his name was spoken Scarlett stiffened in his arms, pulling away from his chest in an attempt to put some space between them. Her earlier anger resurfacing, she enquired sourly, **'Are you going to begin that again?'**

Starting up their earlier confrontation was the last thing on Rhett's mind, indeed if anything he wished only to put the whole sorry subject to bed once and for all. **'No.' **he stated firmly, **'But you asked my reasons and I have given them. I'm riding you with a slack rein my pet, but don't forget that I'm riding you with curb and spurs just the same.'**

But while he had meant for his decisive words to bring about an end to their earlier fight, they only served to reignite the flames. Upon hearing them Scarlett's entire face morphed into an angry frown, her thick brows rushing together as her eyes turned stormy. 'I'm not some horse that you can break in Rhett! If you expect me to turn into some obedient pet now that we're married then you have another thing coming!'

While his temper instinctively rose to meet hers, Rhett would be lying if he said he didn't understand the cause for her ire, his hasty words proving to be a poor assessment of their marital set-up. Indeed, if he could be said to be riding her at all then it was only by clinging stubbornly onto her mane as they hurtled together towards a precipice that he could not see, but felt instinctively was waiting someway in the distance to tear them asunder.

But, while he regretted his earlier statement, he could not now retract it without losing face and so opted to fain a confidence that he certainly did not feel, 'There is no need for you to change now that we are man and wife my dear, why I already broke you in years ago. I started the day we first met and I completed the task when I convinced you to wear that green bonnet you love so much.'

Clambering out of his arms, Scarlett turned to face him, her whole body practically vibrating with fury, 'You think you're so brilliant, don't you? That you're the cleverest man God ever created and we're all just a bunch of stupid pawns, too dim-witted to even realise the games you're playing on us. Well guess what Rhett Butler? You don't know half as much as you think you do, in fact you don't even know what's really going on under your own nose.'

'Is that so?' he asked smoothly, his fingers clenching into fists as her words drew dangerously close to the bone and threatened to unleash his violent side.

'Yes it is!' she cried, too caught up in her tirade to sense the danger she was placing herself in, 'you ran off last night like the mealy-mouthed coward that you are, so convinced that you knew what I was thinking about when in fact you couldn't have been more wrong if you'd tried!'

Rising from his chair he grabbed her wrist none-too-gently and snarled bitterly, 'Oh I knew what you were thinking about all right. Laying in my arms and dreaming I was Ashley Wilkes. If you want to think me a coward for leaving then by all means do so, but I'm sure I could think of a few worse names for you in return my pet.'

Snatching her arm out of his hold she screamed, 'You're pathetic! If you stopped being such a jealous fool for just one minute then you'd realise I wasn't wishing you were Ashley, but rather that he was more like you!'

For a moment time seemed to stand still, the pounding in his head, the exhaustion he felt, even Scarlett's flustered and angered face, it all faded away until all he could see before him was darkness. And, in the midst of that darkness, a small, almost imperceptible flicker of light. A flicker which was slowly growing into a flame, the very flame that he had forever been waiting to see ignited in a certain, beloved pair of emerald eyes.

Coming back to himself as if awakening from a dream, he thought that he must surely have made a mistake. That his ears had deceived him and made him hear the words that he so longed for Scarlett to speak rather than the ones that had actually left her lips.

Yet, despite his doubts he needed to know for sure. Refusing to let the moment slip from his fingers as so many had before, he reached out and pulled Scarlett to him, wrapping his arms possessively round her waist as he pressed her tightly against his body and lent down to bury his face in her neck.

'What did you say?' he asked urgently, keeping his face concealed so that she would not be able to read the bitter disappointment in his eyes if her next words were not the ones he so desperately needed to hear.

He felt her stiffen in his arms, no doubt confused by his sudden show of affection in the midst of their passionate row, 'You heard what I said well-enough Rhett, Lord knows I yelled it loud enough, so don't think you can trick me into repeating it.'

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rhett found himself chuckling at his wife's words, even in potentially life-changing moments such as this she was still her infuriatingly, adorably obstinate self.

Deciding that he if was to ever get her to answer then he needed to change tactics, Rhett placed a gentle kiss upon her neck before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. Looking into Scarlett's eyes he whispered in the softest and most tantalising of voices, 'Please.'

Her eyes widening, she replied in a slightly dazed murmur, the words pouring out of her almost as if he had willed them into existence, 'I was thinking about how nice it feels when you hold me close at night, when you take my hand in yours and whisper silly, sweet things in my ear as I fall asleep. I don't think that Ashley would ever do such things.'

'You don't?' he breathed, his lips so close to hers that she surely must have felt his words rather than heard them.

'No. In fact I think there are an awful lot of things that you do that Ashley wouldn't.'

'Such as?' he asked, his eyes boring into hers as he forced himself to resist the urge to pick her up in his arms and swing her wildly round the room, shouting out his joy as they went. Her words were surely too good to be true, after all these years of blind devotion could she really have begun to see the light?

And yet, he thought hopefully, these last two weeks in New Orleans had seen their relationship gradually change beyond even his wildest, most fervent of dreams. Slowly she had begun to let down her defences, to lay with him willingly and even eagerly at night, to laugh wholeheartedly at his stories, to tease and play, to accept is friends and take up her rightful place at his side.

All this time he had thought her blind to her own feelings, but perhaps she had already uncovered them and he was the one who was too caught up in old jealousies and resentments to see it.

So deep in thought was he that Rhett almost didn't notice how Scarlet blushed red at his question, averting her eyes downwards as her cheeks coloured, 'Oh I don't know Rhett,' she answered sharply, covering over her embarrassment with a show of irritation that up until a few minutes ago would surely have fooled him, 'there are too many to count!'

'Scarlett honey, look at me.' He commanded gently, needing to see one final thing before he could allow himself to truly believe that her declaration was real.

He held his breath as she raised her face up towards his, praying hard to a God that he wished he believed in that he would finally find the thing he'd been looking for since the first moment he lay eyes on her.

He bit back as gasp as her eyes met his and, searching past her emerald irises he scoured the depths of her bottomless, black pupils before seeing the very thing that he had always sought. A flame.

After all this time and all this suffering it was finally there, burning brightly in the dark like a full moon in a cloudless sky.

Unthinkingly he pulled her to him and fused his lips to hers, kissing her with a tenderness and a completeness that made both their breaths stop. Sliding his hands up into her cascading hair, he pulled her impossibly closer before breaking away to breath in some much-needed oxygen.

He smiled brightly at Scarlett's flustered, impassioned expression, before whispering huskily, 'Why don't I help you count them?'

Seeing her look of dazed confusion he chuckled lightly, thrilled to find he was capable of rendering even the great Scarlett O'Hara temporarily speechless with his kisses.

'For instance,' he murmured lowly, before slowly stroking down the length of her bare arm from shoulder to wrist, 'would Ashley's touch bring goosebumps to you skin like mine does?'

Scarlett shivered lightly under the heat of his gaze before mutely shaking her head.

'I didn't think so.' Rhett said, before leaning in to playfully nudge her nose with his, 'Would Ashley's proximity make your breath catch in your throat like it does when I'm close to you?'

Scarlett swallowed thickly, 'No.'

Raising a hand to her cheek, Rhett ran his fingertips down her heated skin before drawing her in for a kiss. Closing his eyes he ran his tongue teasingly across her bottom lip, allowing himself to become lost in the feel and taste of her for a moment before reluctantly withdrawing.

'Would Ashley's kisses leave you feeling light-headed and feverish like mine do?'

'No.' she said through slightly swollen lips, her eyes clouding over with unfulfilled desire.

Rhett felt himself stiffen as he took her in, knowing that he would not be able to continue playing this game for much longer without losing all control, delicious though undoubtedly was to tease her like this.

Wrapping his arm round Scarlett's waist again, he walked her back slowly towards the bed before picking her up from off the ground and lowering her carefully onto the centre of the mattress. Crawling up over her, he leant down and kissed her softly before running a hand down the centre of her chest and past her stomach, feeling her tremble under his touch as he did so.

Pressing his hand gently against her, he enjoyed the way she gasped and arched into him before he crooned, 'Would Ashley make you ache like I do?'

Rather than reply, Scarlett simply moaned and pulled him down for a heated and desperate kiss.

Submerging himself in her warmth, Rhett knew that he wouldn't need to ask any more questions tonight, that she had already given him all the answers that he would ever need.

And that from this moment on her sighs would only ever be for him.


	7. Chapter 7

_In those two weeks in New Orleans, she learned everything about him except what he really was. – Margaret Mitchell_

Scarlett had never been a morning person. As a child at Tara she had complained bitterly whenever Mammy woke her, stubbornly pulling the covers up over her head to block out the offending dawn light and pointedly refusing to get up.

This habit of staying in bed as long as humanly possible was one which she had brought with her into adulthood, even with her many pressing responsibilities Scarlett still clung obstinately to oblivion, holding onto the last blissful remnants of sleep as if her very life depended on it.

But today was different.

Today not even the most joyous of dreams could live up to what awaited her in reality. Still half-unconscious she could feel Rhett's burning heat against her back, the comforting weight of his arm cradling her stomach, the soft, moist kisses he peppered along her neck.

Somehow, today, the prospect of waking up didn't seem nearly so abhorrent.

Arching back into him she fought to escape her slumber, not wanting to deny herself the full sensation of his touch for even a second longer than was necessary.

As if to help her in her endeavour, Rhett provided her with extra incentive by tightening his hold around her waist and moving his lips northwards to seek out the spot behind her ear which had always been particularly sensitive to his ministrations.

Moaning slightly, Scarlett finally began to come round properly, reaching up a hand to rub her tired eyes as she yawned loudly.

Behind her Rhett chuckled, the vibrations sending electric shivers down Scarlett's spine before he murmured against her ear, 'I take it by that impressive yawn that sleeping beauty has finally awoken. About time too, I've been endeavouring to rouse you for the last fifteen minutes. Indeed I was becoming concerned that you may have slipped into a coma at some point during the night.'

Rolling her eyes, Scarlett stretched her aching body before answering archly, 'If you'd really wanted to wake me then you should have brought me breakfast in bed. The smell of warm croissants would have affected me far quicker than your measly kisses did.'

'Is that so?' Rhett challenged, moving his hand on her stomach so that his fingers dug teasingly into the ticklish space beneath her ribs.

Trying and failing to supress a giggle, Scarlett hurriedly pulled his hand back down to her stomach, intertwining her fingers with his as she did so.

'Mmhmm' she sighed sleepily, nodding her head, 'although I suppose it wasn't too bad of a way to be woken.'

'My dear you flatter me.' Rhett drawled, giving her hand a light squeeze.

Scarlett smiled and squeezed back. It felt nice to be able to joke like this, easily and harmlessly, without one of them taking it too seriously and storming off. They'd come a long way in these last few days and Scarlett was glad for it.

The progress that they had made while on honeymoon was perhaps made most apparent by the fact that while they had occupied separate quarters during the train ride to New Orleans, now on the return journey they required only one.

The fear that she had felt that first night was nothing but a distant memory now. Indeed, the very idea that she had ever wasted time worrying that Rhett would hurt her made Scarlett want to laugh out loud, so ridiculous a notion did it now seem.

Having been married three times already in her short life, Scarlett considered herself something of an expert on the subject and could not imagine any other husband being as gentle and considerate of his wife as Rhett had been to her.

Why, even after the joyous fortnight that they had spent together he'd still made sure to ask her whether she wouldn't be more comfortable having her own room on the train. But while once the thought of being alone with Rhett had made Scarlett baulk, now the opposite was true.

Though the train compartments were a far cry from the vast splendour of their hotel bridal suite, Scarlett was more than willing to suffer the cramped conditions if it meant she got to keep Rhett by her side for the night.

In fact even the limited space within their room had had its benefits, providing her with an excuse to cuddle up closer to Rhett than her pride would normally have allowed her to do, all but draping her body over his as they whiled away the lonely hours in the most enjoyable of ways.

Neither of them had managed to get much sleep, but for once Scarlett didn't mind feeling a little fatigued. There would be plenty of time to rest once they returned home and she for one was glad that they had ended their honeymoon in some considerable style.

Indeed she couldn't help but think this morning would be completely perfect if only Rhett really had gone and gotten her something to eat. Suddenly, as if agreeing with her thoughts, Scarlett's stomach gave an almighty, impossibly loud grumble.

Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as Rhett laughed and for a moment Scarlett was tempted to forget her earlier, happy thoughts and push him swiftly off of her. She was denied the opportunity though when Rhett suddenly extracted his hand from hers and rose up off the bed.

Scarlett shivered as a cold breeze drifted along her back, experiencing an unexplainable sense of loss as Rhett moved to pick up his discarded clothes from the floor and swiftly began putting them on.

Confused and oddly perturbed by his seeming abandonment she rolled onto her back and sat up against the pillows, frowning as she fixed him with an unhappy glare, 'Where are you going?'

'Why to scour this train until I find you something to eat of course, I can't have your bellyaches disturbing all of the other passengers now can I?'

Relaxing, Scarlett bit her lip to stop herself from smiling stupidly at her unexpectedly thoughtful husband. While her feelings for him had grown beyond all recognition in this last fortnight she was still hesitant to display them fully in front of him. A nagging doubt still persisted in the back of her mind, a small, persistent voice which warned her that surely this level of happiness could not last for long, that a man as unpredictable and untameable as Rhett Butler would not be content to play the role of the doting spouse forever.

Turning her head to look out of the window she watched with regret as the scenery flashed by, wishing that she could order the train to turn around and take them back to New Orleans. They had been so happy there after all, so far removed from the people they were at home, able to carve out a new, better relationship for themselves away from the prying eyes and sharp tongues of all the old cats.

She worried that once they arrived back in Atlanta later today Rhett would revert back into the biting, callous scoundrel that he had always seemed to be and that she too would forget everything that they had shared while on honeymoon and grow distant and cold with him once more.

She didn't want it to happen, but she wasn't sure how to stop it. In fact, there didn't seem to be much that she was sure of these days. Everything that she had once known, had once held to be true had somehow become muddled and distorted during her time away. Ashley, Melanie, Rhett; her views on these central figures in her life, once set in stone, had slowly lost their former rigidness, becoming mixed up and muddied until everything was upside down and back to front and she didn't have the faintest idea of where she stood anymore.

Suddenly though, through the tumult of her thoughts, she heard Rhett call her name, his presence pulling her back from the abyss and anchoring her to solid ground as it always did.

'What did you say Rhett?'

'My dear do you mean to tell me you weren't hanging off my every word? How you wound me!' Rhett teased lightly, before giving an exaggerated sigh and repeating himself, 'I was asking if there was anything else you wanted besides croissants, not that I can guarantee you even those of course, seeing as you've awoken far too late for breakfast and will have to make do with whatever I can find left-over in the kitchens or steal from the other passengers.'

Despite her still unresolved fears, Scarlett laughed freely at Rhett's words, a tingle running through her at the thought of the lengths he would go to in order to make her happy. Just like that night he'd thieved that god-forsaken excuse for a horse so that the she could escape from Atlanta before it fell to the Yankees, Rhett always proved himself to be willing and able to help her get what she needed, whether it was strictly legal or not.

After having always been the one to shoulder the responsibility of providing for others, being taken care of like this made Scarlett feel unreasonably warm inside and once again she had to fight hard to keep the adoration off her face when she spoke to Rhett.

'I'm sure whatever you get me will be fine, and if it's not then you'll just have to take me out for lunch in the National when we get to Atlanta.'

Smirking Rhett shook his head, 'As much as I enjoy spending my hard-earned millions on you my dear, unfortunately I've already made plans for lunch today.'

Scarlett was just about to ask him what plans they were and why he was being such a cad as to leave her the moment they returned home, when Rhett cut her questioning off by crossing the room and planting a swift, but deep kiss upon her mouth.

The feel of his lips against her own made Scarlett hungry in an altogether different way, and for a moment her mind was wiped blank of everything save the need to draw him closer. As such she could only nod dazedly when he pulled back with a whispered 'Wish me luck' and quickly exited their compartment.

A few moments after the door had shut behind him though her mind cleared and she couldn't help but return to his earlier words about already having plans for lunch. The notion that he was already withdrawing from her, intending to run off to eat with god-knows-who the minute that they disembarked, seemed to confirm her fears that the Rhett she had honeymooned with in New Orleans was not the Rhett that she should expect to live with in Atlanta.

It hurt to think that the intimacy and happiness that they had enjoyed together this last fortnight would not last long into the future. For in the last two weeks Scarlett's world had seemed to shrink until it comprised solely of her and Rhett. And, while in the hours leading up to their marriage the thought of having to spend so much time alone with him had terrified Scarlett, now she found herself wishing that their honeymoon hadn't gone by so quickly, that she could turn back the clock and do it all over again.

She found to her surprise that even given the opportunity to relive it she would not change a thing. Not the moments of misunderstanding, not the cross words, not even the blazing rows. For they were as dear to her as the moments of perfect harmony that her and Rhett had shared, helping them to overcome all the false assumptions and unfounded jealousies that they both held and see each other clearly for the very first time.

More than that though there was something undeniably thrilling about fighting with Rhett, a recognition that at last she had found an opponent worthy of herself, one who challenged and provoked her as no one else ever had. He brought out the best and the worst that she could be and gloried in both. There was no part of herself that she had to hide from him, no need to fear that he would realise she was not a true lady and be repulsed by the finding. For he had known that about her since their very first meeting and the realisation had only increased his admiration for her.

Scarlett hadn't been accepted as her true self in a very long time, indeed she wondered idly if she ever had, and it was not a feeling that she was willing to give up. Fired up by this thought, she decided that sitting back and bemoaning the fact Rhett wanted to have lunch without her would not stop him from doing so.

No, if she truly wanted to ensure that nothing changed between them when they returned to Atlanta then it was vital that she began fighting for him. She would have to stop hiding away the depth of her feelings and ensure that he never had to go looking to others for affection, but would find all he needed and more at home with her.

She was just beginning to concoct plans to permanently ensnare her husband when he shocked her by flying back into their room, slamming the door shut behind him as he all but dived onto the bed beside her.

His face was flushed and his eyes snapped with an electric mixture of danger and adrenaline as he turned over onto his back, almost knocking Scarlett onto the floor and off of their far-too narrow bed as he did so.

'Breakfast is served my dear,' he said, his slightly laboured breath the only visible sign that he was not his usual unflappable self. Smirking he reached into his breast pocket and removed a bread roll, causing Scarlett's eyebrows to shoot up as she took in the less than appealing sight before her.

'That's all you got?' she asked incredulously, 'I ate larger meals at Tara during the war, and we all practically starved!'

'How your cruel words claw at me my pet,' he said with a mocking look of hurt, 'I venture forth to find you sustenance, risking both my good reputation and my life, only to have you criticise my sacrifice when I return? Well, next time I'll make you hunt for your own breakfast and see if you fare any better.'

'Huh! If I did then I'd damn well come back with more than one measly bread roll, why there's not even any filling in it!'

At her jeering words Rhett brought the roll up close to his face and pretended to inspect it thoroughly, 'Why is there not my dear? I must have forgotten it in my haste to escape before the strapping fellow that this belongs to realised it was missing.'

'Rhett! You didn't really steal someone else's breakfast did you?' Scarlett asked, unsure as to why the idea seemed so amusing to her. The thought of him putting himself at risk like that for her sake made her feel oddly young and giddy. It reminded her of the pranks that the Tarleton twins used to play on their unsuspecting neighbours in order to impress her before the blasted war came along and snuffed out their cheeky smiles forever.

'Of course not, I would never stoop so low as to steal a man's entire breakfast!' Rhett proclaimed angrily, making Scarlett worry that her question had truly offended him before his face broke out into a boyish smirk, 'That's why I left him the filling!'

Laughing despite herself, Scarlett playfully slapped his arm while proclaiming affectionately, 'Oh Rhett, you are awful!'

'Indeed I am my pet, but that's why you love me.'

He didn't raise his voice, didn't put any more emphasis on those last three words yet they seemed to cut through the drowsy late morning air like a knife filling the room with an invisible, but impossible to ignore, tension. They seemed to echo loudly throughout the compartment, growing rather than diminishing in volume each time they repeated until Scarlett almost felt the need to cover her ears in order to block them out.

In all the years that she had known him Scarlett had felt many different emotions regarding Rhett, anger, frustration, affection, irritation, even hatred. But love? Had she ever really loved him?

If someone had asked her that question before their marriage she would have thrown back her head and scoffed rudely, love that skunk? Why, the very idea was ludicrous. She only tolerated him at all because he bought her pretty gifts and listened to the troubles she couldn't risk telling anyone else.

But since their wedding things had begun to change, she had seen sides to him that she had never even guessed existed before and which had altered her opinion of him considerably. He was still intolerable at times of course, but he was also unnervingly sweet, surprisingly witty and often unexpectedly, heart-renderingly gentle.

But though her affection for him had increased rapidly in these last two weeks she wasn't sure if it was love exactly that she felt for him. After all the only person that she had ever knowingly loved before was Ashley and the two men could hardly be more different if they tried.

With Ashley her feelings had always been easy to understand; she idolised him, placing him up upon a pedestal that no one else could even come close to ascending. He was perfect in her eyes, handsome almost to the point of beauty, courteous, chivalrous to a fault and always painfully proper.

Compared along those lines Rhett could not fail but to disappoint. She certainly did not idolise him, indeed the very idea was offensive to her. She fought hard to equal Rhett in all things and the notion of placing him above her was ridiculous. He was far from beautiful too, his face strong and rugged where Ashley's was fine and soft, his frame large and imposing where Ashley's was lean and stately.

And he certainly wasn't courteous or chivalrous or proper or any of those gentlemanly things. He never allowed her to get away with a lie and always criticised her when she acted like the belle she was trained to be. He told her the most scandalous of stories and always treated her more as if she were his partner in crime than an innocent, ignorant lady.

But despite these apparent shortcomings, and Scarlett wasn't entirely sure if they even were shortcomings anymore, he possessed traits that Ashley certainly did not.

He could make her smile so hard that her cheeks ached for hours afterwards, could make her laugh until her sides hurt and her eyes streamed with tears. At night he made her feel cherished and exquisite and afterwards he held her close, so close in fact that she felt as if nothing would ever be able to hurt her again. He taunted and teased her in a way that stimulated rather than offended her and she missed him painfully when he wasn't there, unconsciously hoping that each sound she heard was the sound of him returning.

But even if she did love him, what good would it do her? While she wasn't dense enough to miss the fact that Rhett obviously cared for her, it still did nothing to alter the fact that their marriage was only a business transaction to him, that it was her body he longed to possess rather than her heart.

Not wanting to completely deny his words, yet not brave enough to openly agree with them, Scarlett squared her shoulders and answered firmly, 'No it's not! As if any woman ever loved a man because he was a skunk! Now hand me that roll Rhett. It may be pitiful but I suppose it will have to do for now.'

Seemingly amused by her heated outburst and looking pleased that his words had driven her into such a flurry, Rhett grinned sardonically as he passed over her meagre breakfast, making sure that his fingers brushed against hers as he did so.

Taking a large bite out of the bread in order to distract attention away from her blush, Scarlett forced herself to swallow down the food despite her mouth feeling unusually dry.

She'd almost finished the roll in what was surely record time, when she realised that Rhett had brought back nothing for himself and felt a stab of guilt run through her.

'Um…' she began hesitantly, holding the slim remains of her breakfast out towards him, 'would you like some Rhett?'

'Kind as it is of you to think of me my dear, now that I've finally stopped having to live off of your crumbs I don't intend to resume the habit.' He said, making Scarlett frown with confusion at his perplexing words. Why, she had never made him eat crumbs before! Indeed, they had lived like royalty all honeymoon, consuming meals so large and fine that Scarlett often thought her stomach might burst before she had a chance to finish them.

Before she could question him though, he continued on, his next words causing her confusion to be swiftly replaced with anger. 'No, I shall wait until we return to Atlanta, I've organised a splendid lunch with the town's most eminent lady and I don't wish to spoil my appetite.'

So it was a woman he was seeing then. Scarlett's heart clenched against the stinging pain of his betrayal. To think that he couldn't wait so much as a day before seeking out another female's company, why it was too humiliating to be borne!

No doubt it was that awful Watling creature that he was in such a hurry to see. While Scarlett had been busy acting like a love-struck fool this last fortnight, relishing their honeymoon and wishing it could last forever, Rhett had probably been counting down the days until he could return to Atlanta and his flame-haired whore! A wash of hurt and crushed hope flooding through her, Scarlett fought hard to hold back the bitter tears which threatened to fall from her downcast eyes.

He wasn't even trying to hide it from her, indeed he was all but rubbing his intended infidelity in her face! And for him to plan to meet Belle in Atlanta as well, in broad daylight, where all of their friends and neighbours would surely see them and laugh at Scarlett for her inability to keep her husband interested for so much as a single month!

She could not face such ridicule, and what's more she would not, even if she had to attach herself forcefully to Rhett's arm and point-blank refuse to let him lunch with Belle. It would hurt her pride beyond all recovery but she would do it if it meant keeping him away from that awful creature.

Squaring her jaw in preparation for a fight, she turned rigidly to face Rhett head on and met his puzzled expression with her own unyielding one.

'I won't have you seeing her Rhett. It's cruel and mean of you to even think of doing so when we've only just returned from our honeymoon.' Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and overcome her reservations, she continued on, ignoring the look of utter perplexity that Rhett was currently wearing.

'I know that some married men do of course visit such women, but if you think that I'm going to be one of those mousey little wives who sit back and do nothing while their husbands run around town making fools of themselves and dragging their names through the dirt then you're mistaken. I won't be made a fool of Rhett and I'll pack my bags for Tara if you ever do.'

'Scarlett what on God's good earth are you rambling on about?' Rhett asked, his unexpected words breaking through Scarlett's walls and causing her to truly look at him for the first time since she had begun her speech.

Taking in his look of genuine, if slightly amused, confusion, Scarlett frowned and wondered if maybe she hadn't just made a terrible mistake. 'You abandoning me to have lunch with that dreadful Watling woman of course.'

To her consternation Rhett threw back his head and laughed loudly at her words, his white teeth gleaming as he wiped away tears from his eyes. 'Oh my dear, you never fail to amuse me! Having lunch with Belle indeed!'

Scowling now to cover her rising embarrassment, Scarlett soldiered bravely on, 'But you said you couldn't eat with me because you'd already made plans with a woman and there's not one respectable lady in Atlanta who'd willingly have lunch with you so I assumed…'

'You assumed wrong my dear,' Rhett interjected, his dark eyes still bright with laughter, 'In your damning assessment of my social standing you forgot the one lady who has always made me welcome at her table, no matter how odious my sins may be.'

'You mean Melly?' Scarlett said, her face screwing up in confusion, 'But why would you plan to dine with her when Ashley is bound to be there? You've made no secret of your dislike for him so I don't see why you'd rush to spend time with him now.'

Rhett's smile turned slightly malicious as he replied, 'Ah but you forget that since our last meeting with Mr. Wilkes it's not just my feelings that have changed towards him. I think it only right that one of your oldest friends sees what a happy union your marriage has turned out to be, don't you?'

'Why Rhett!' Scarlett admonished as realisation began to dawn on her, 'You mean to taunt him don't you?'

'Indeed I do Mrs. Butler,' Rhett replied, not one trace of remorse apparent in his features, 'I think it only fair to inform him that your allegiances have changed, no sense in the poor man labouring under false pretences for the rest of his life now is there?'

She knew she should have been angered by his smug tone, not to mention offended by the fact he meant to parade their happiness in front of Ashley like a trophy, but somehow she couldn't find the will to do so. She was too relieved that her suspicions regarding Belle had been unfounded, that he wasn't abandoning her but intended for them to dine together after all.

So she put up no fuss moments later when he reached across and pulled her into his arms, nor when he started to run his hands through her hair and attempted to vanquish the remnants of her earlier frown by laying kisses upon the lines on her forehead.

Slowly she felt that familiar soothing feeling rise up in her stomach and roll itself out along her body as she lost herself eagerly in his kisses and caresses. Closing her eyes she revelled once more in his proximity, glad with every fibre of her being that she was the one Rhett had chosen to bestow such intimate touches on.

Stretching out like a cat in the sun, she arched her spine and reached up her head to plant a kiss on her husband's lips, safe in the knowledge that she would be the only person to do so for the foreseeable future.

Before she could truly lose herself in the kiss though, Rhett surprised her by moving away, a rueful smile pulling at the corner of his lips. 'As much as I would enjoy indulging you my dear, by my estimations we're only twenty minutes from Atlanta and I doubt Mrs. Merriwether and her band of cronies would appreciate welcoming us home in our altogether.'

Blushing deeply at his scandalous words, Scarlett all but leapt from the bed shrieking loudly as she did so, 'Twenty minutes! God's nightgown Rhett why didn't you tell me sooner? I'll never be ready in that time and I so wanted to look my best for our return.'

Chuckling lowly, Rhett lifted himself lithely from the bed and sauntered slowly over to where Scarlett stood hurriedly trying to pull her chemise over her head with one hand while putting on her stocking with another.

'My dear, it matters little what you're wearing when you only have to show your face in order to easily outshine every other woman present.'

Normally highly susceptible to his flattery, Scarlett was too busy trying to locate her discarded corset to acknowledge his words with anything more than a hasty nod of her head.

Finding it half-hidden under one of their bags she pulled it swiftly free and thrust it unceremoniously at Rhett. 'I'd have outshone them far better if only you'd given me a bit more time! Now hurry up and lace me.'

'Next time we travel I'll be sure to give you at least two days' notice so you can ready yourself in time for our return.' He teased.

Had Rhett not been standing behind her in order to fit her corset, Scarlett would have taken great pleasure in slapping his arm in reprimand. As it was she only managed to restrain herself from kicking his shins by thinking of what a sight they would make disembarking from the train if, in addition to her own poorly dressed state, her husband was encumbered by a severe limp.

Instead she decided to subdue her irritation by focussing on the positives, 'Will be going away often then Rhett?'

'Oh I should think so Mrs. Butler, there is after all a whole world outside of our dear Southland which you have yet to experience. And having risked my life to earn all these ill-gotten gains it seems a shame not to spend the lion's share of it on exploring Europe and South America with my all-too charming wife.'

'Oh Rhett you are good to me!' Scarlett chimed, her earlier anger all but forgotten, 'I do so long to see Paris and London and… and Ireland. Yes, it would be just lovely to see Pa's home country after having had to listen to him rant and rave about it for years.'

'Well then see it you shall my pet.' Rhett declared, securing her corset before moving round to face her.

Scarlett granted him a quick smile of thanks before rushing off round the room to find and put on various items of clothing, her mind drifting off to think about all of the places that she and Rhett would soon be visiting. How exciting life would be married to him and how different from her previous experiences! She need not fear that Rhett would leave her as Charles had done for surely she had never met a man more intensely alive than he, nor would she have to spend all her time worrying about money as she had with Frank when Rhett was rich almost to the point of obscenity.

No, finally she was engaged in a marriage worthy of her, one in which she could let go of her anxieties and simply enjoy life again, as wholly and lustily as she had as a young belle at Tara.

And, if they were to be spending so much time out of the country then it would be a lot harder for Rhett to visit Belle Watling.

Her good mood soured slightly though at the thought of that dreadful woman and she realised with a pang that though Rhett might not be meeting her today, he hadn't actually given her any assurance that he wouldn't be visiting her at some point in the future.

Not wanting to disembark without having settled the matter once and for all, Scarlett finished slipping on her ruby gloves which perfectly complimented the red dress she had selected especially for their triumphant return home, and fixed Rhett with an icy stare for the second time that morning.

'Rhett?'

'Scarlett?' he mimicked playfully, seemingly amused by the reappearance of her serious expression.

'I was wondering will you be visiting… well what I mean to say is, do you intend to see much of Miss. Watling now that we're back living in Atlanta?'

'Not nearly as much as I used to see of her my dear.' Rhett replied, his black eyes dancing mischievously at his suggestive choice of words, before turning earnest when he took in Scarlett's look of hurt, 'Myself and Belle have been friends for many years now Scarlett and as we share several business interests it is only natural that we will have to meet each other from time to time.'

Scarlett felt her blood rising as he spoke, hot tears of betrayal stung suddenly at her eyes and clouded her vision. Through watery lids she saw Rhett move towards her and before she knew it she was enveloped in the comforting warmth of his arms.

Placing a finger under her chin, he pulled her bowed head up to meet his and continued steadily, 'I assure you though that our meetings will go no further than yours and Ashley's, for just like you I too have found my former fondness for Belle quite overshadowed in this last fortnight. And as long as your affections do not revert back then I give you my word that mine will not either.'

Blinking furiously to fight back her tears, Scarlett smiled weakly and nodded her head. If that was all it would take to keep Rhett from Belle's door then she would have nothing to fear. For Ashley was nothing more than a beloved childhood friend to her now, her former infatuation receding further and further each day until it scarcely seemed real to her anymore.

'Should I take your nod to mean that I won't be seeking out Belle any time soon my dear?'

'You should.' Scarlett replied, her blinding smile only matched by the one Rhett was currently giving her.

'Good,' he declared with a false show of nonchalance, clapping his hands and picking up their carry-on bags, 'Then if you are quite ready my pet I do believe it is time we made our way off this train, we wouldn't want to keep the Wilkes' waiting after all!'

Unable to supress her smile, Scarlett could only nod her head silently in agreement and follow Rhett out of their compartment, taking one last glance round the room as she did so. It had been a dizzying two weeks even by the standards of her eventful life, but if it had to end then she was at least glad that the intimacy she and Rhett had shared within it would continue on.

As the train drew into the station, she caught sight of Melanie and Ashley standing on the platform. Ashley standing tall and solemn as always, while beside him Melanie bounced eagerly on her small feet, craning her neck to catch sight of her returning friends.

Upon seeing the look of loving excitement on Melly's face Scarlett felt a strange surge of affection flood through her for the woman who had always thought the best of her no matter what others might say. Suddenly she could not wait to see her, to tell her everything that had happened in New Orleans and find out all of the tittle-tattle she had missed while she was away. It had been a long time since she'd knowingly had a female friend and Scarlett felt as if a space she hadn't previously realised existed inside of her had finally been filled.

The train rocked slightly as it slowed to a stop, the carriage juddering and causing numerous ladies to sway precariously as a result. Scarlett was spared this embarrassment though when Rhett reached out and wrapped a supportive arm around her waist, before he took advantage of the situation to provocatively squeeze her side.

Glancing up at his playful expression, Scarlett could not help but giggle and, overcome by a rush of emotion for her irrepressible rogue of a husband, she leaned up before she could lose her nerve and whispered passionately in his ear. 'That's why.'

'Why what my dear?' he drawled, his sparkling eyes telling her that he understood exactly what she was referring to.

Playing along with him she employed all of the tricks that had one made her the belle of five counties. Batting her eyelids as swiftly as a hummingbird's wings and smiling coquettishly in a way that made her dimples dance, she leant as close to him as she dared do in public and murmured lowly, 'You know what.'

'Ah, that's why you're hopelessly and irrevocably in love with me you mean? It's only to be expected though, after all no woman could hope to hold out against my innumerable charms for long.'

Feigning a huff she rolled her eyes and replied sharply, 'I managed to hold out for six years didn't I?'

Rolling his lips into his mouth and nodding his head in a faux-serious manner, Rhett reached up a hand to caress her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes, 'And yet I succumbed to yours the very first moment we met.'

'Really?' Scarlett breathed, hardly daring to hope that his words were true.

'Really.' He replied wearing the most earnest expression she had ever seen upon his face in all the years that she had known him.

'So this marriage isn't just a business deal to you?' She asked quickly, finally uttering the thoughts that had plagued her all honeymoon.

'Of course it is.' He said dismissively, his words making Scarlett feel as if he had dealt her a crippling, physical blow.

'But,' he continued softly as the doors opened and the passengers around them began to disembark, the stream of bodies all but pushing Scarlett and Rhett towards the platform and their waiting friends, 'It's never been your body- tempting though it undoubtedly is- that I wished to acquire but rather your stubborn heart and incomparable mind.'

Though Scarlett could fell the concrete of the platform beneath her feet, could hear Melanie's excited cries and Ashely's more staid greetings, she felt as if she were somewhere else entirely, somewhere bright and warm and safe which comprised solely of her and Rhett.

Officially her honeymoon may have ended, but she knew now that the events of the last fortnight would stay dear to her for the rest of her life. It had changed her perceptions of virtually everything and everyone around her, and allowed her to gradually understand the man who up until now had always been a total mystery to her. In it she had learned that Rhett was at his most playful and considerate in the mornings and his most passionate and dangerous at night, that his temperament could switch at the drop of a hat, that his words were just as capable of stealing her heart as they were of breaking it and that no matter how engrossed he might appear to be in a conversation he would instantly break it off the moment that he sensed she wanted him, like a panther bidding its time by playing with a mouse while waiting for more worthy prey to wander into its territory.

But greater than all of those little, intimate details was the fact that after all of these long years, their time in New Orleans had enabled her to pry away his mask and uncover the man beneath. Finally, she had discovered the true Rhett and she realised now that at heart he had only ever really been one thing and one thing only. No longer did she dismiss him as an infuriating cad, or buy into the rest of Atlanta's belief that he was nothing but a worthless scoundrel. Nor was she fooled by his earlier, romantic incarnations as a wanderer and a reckless adventurer for they were simply disguises that he had needed once and had long since thrown away. No, for _in these two weeks in New Orleans she had learned everything about him _**including** _what he really was._

**Hers.**

* * *

Thank you so much to everyone who read this story and especially to all those who reviewed, favourited and followed it. I'm so sad it's over but I'm happy with how it ended for them. When I first read GWTW aged fourteen I wrote _Hers _in pencil after that line in the book and always wanted to include it in one of my fanfictions so I'm glad I finally got the chance to.

I do have an idea for a full-length story, but this next year is going to be a hectic one for me so I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to write it. As a reader there's nothing that frustrates me more than an unfinished story so unless I'm confident I can see it through I won't post it. If I don't then I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for reading my stories over this last year, it's been beyond amazing to meet so many lovely people, to receive so many kind, encouraging words and to see my works being read by people in such far away countries as America and Australia and in such impossibly exotic ones as Singapore, Argentina and Egypt to name but a few- if anything this experience has improved my geographic knowledge more than my literary one!

Thanks especially to those of you who complimented my writing, before Waking Up I hadn't written anything fictional in years and had zero expectations of being any good at it. Since then writing has become one of my favourite past-times and one which I hope to enjoy for many years to come.

Apologies for making this A/N almost as long as the chapter and hopefully you'll hear from me again at some point in the future!

Until then though best wishes and, as always, please review!


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